James Wallace Robinson (November 26, 1826 – June 28, 1898) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

from 1873 to 1875.

Life and career

Born in the township of Darby, near

Unionville Center, Ohio Unionville Center is a village in Union County, Ohio, in the United States. The population was 241 as of the 2020 census. The village is home to the Charles W. Fairbanks Festival that is held each May. The village also has a post office with ...

, Robinson attended the common schools and Marysville Academy. He was graduated from Jefferson College,

Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Canonsburg is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, southwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 9,735 at the 2020 census. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 180 ...

, in 1848. He studied law first with Otway Curry, and graduated from

Cincinnati Law School The University of Cincinnati College of Law is the law school of the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. History The University of Cincinnati College of Law was founded in 1833 as the Cincinnati Law School. It is the fourth oldest conti ...

in 1851. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in the latter year and commenced practice in

London, Ohio London is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Ohio, United States. Located about southwest of the Ohio capital of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, London was established in 1811 to serve as the county seat. The population was 10,279 at t ...

, partnering with Curry. He served as prosecuting attorney of Union County for two terms, elected as a Whig. He moved to

Marysville, Ohio Marysville is a city in Union County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 25,571 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located approximately northwest of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, it is part of the Columbus met ...

, in 1855. He served as member of the State house of representatives 1860–1862, and in 1864 was elected to fill an unexpired term.

Congress

Robinson was elected as a Republican to the Forty-third Congress (March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1874 to the Forty-fourth Congress. He resumed the practice of his profession.

Death

He died in

, June 28, 1898. He was interred in Oakdale Cemetery.

Private life

Robinson was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

, and an elder in the church beginning in 1855. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of the

College of Wooster {{Infobox university , image = College of Wooster seal.png , image_upright = .6 , name = The College of Wooster , former_names = University of Wooster (1866–1915) , motto ...

, which conferred a

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

on him in 1896. He was married to Mary J. Cassil of Marysville, and had two children and died in 1894. In 1896 he married Mary E. Kent of

Rome, New York Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States, located in the central part of the state. The population was 32,127 at the 2020 census. Rome is one of two principal cities in the Utica–Rome Metropolitan Statistical Area, which lie ...

. His nephew, James E. Robinson, was an associate justice of the

Supreme Court of Ohio The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a chief justice and six associate justices, ...

and a maternal great-grandfather of U.S. President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

. Thus, James Wallace Robinson is a great-great-granduncle of a

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, James Wallace 1826 births 1898 deaths People from Union County, Ohio Members of the Ohio House of Representatives Washington & Jefferson College alumni University of Cincinnati College of Law alumni County district attorneys in Ohio Ohio lawyers Ohio Whigs People from Marysville, Ohio 19th-century American lawyers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Ohio General Assembly