John J. Robison (1824–1897) was a 19th-century Michigan politician who was the mayor of Ann Arbor from 1886 to 1887. He also served as a state senator and county clerk.

Biography

Robison was born on August 13, 1824 in

Phelps, New York Phelps is a town in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 6,637 at the 2020 census. The Town of Phelps contains a village called Phelps. Both are north of Geneva. History The town was part of the Phelps and Gorham Purchas ...

to mother Gertrude Hoag and father Andrew Robison, both devoted Presbyterians. Andrew was originally a

currier A currier is a specialist in the leather processing industry. After the tanning Tanning may refer to: * Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather * Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin ** Indoor tanning, the use o ...

and

tanner Tanner may refer to: * Tanner (occupation), the tanning of leather and hides People * Tanner (given name), * Tanner (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *The Tanner Sisters, also referred to as "The Harbingers of Weir ...

, but later became involved in general farming. In 1843, Robison moved with his family to Sharon, Michigan. He was a schoolteacher in Sharon and

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

for 18 terms, after which he devoted more attention to farming. On May 2, 1847, Robison married Altha E. Gillett and they subsequently had five children together. Robison began dabbling in politics in 1862 when he was first elected to the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

. He was re-elected in 1864, and in 1866 he was re-nominated for the position but declined to run. Robison was elected as County Clerk of

Washtenaw County Washtenaw County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the population was 372,258. The county seat is Ann Arbor. The county was authorized by legislation in 1822 and organized as a county in 1826. Washtenaw ...

in 1868 and again in 1870. He was a delegate for the

1872 Democratic National Convention The 1872 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention held at Ford's Grand Opera House on East Fayette Street, between North Howard and North Eutaw Streets, in Baltimore, Maryland on July 9 and 10, 1872. It resulted in ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. He was also nominated for a seat in the U.S. Congress in 1874 and 1876, but was defeated both times. In 1878, Robison was elected to the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

. Robison moved to

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

upon being elected County Clerk in 1882, with his term commencing on January 1, 1883; he was re-elected to the post in 1884. In 1886, he was elected mayor of Ann Arbor and served for one term. In 1887, Robison bought the Main Street Jail in Ann Arbor and turned it into his family home. Robison died on Tuesday, October 26, 1897 at 6 a.m.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robison, John J. Mayors of Ann Arbor, Michigan Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Democratic Party Michigan state senators 1824 births 1897 deaths 19th-century members of the Michigan Legislature