John Marshall Robsion Jr. (August 28, 1904 – February 14, 1990) was an American Republican politician who served as a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

from

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

from 1953 to 1959 and was the Republican nominee for

Governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; sinc ...

in 1959. Robsion was born in Barbourville. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

and also attended

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

and the

National War College In the United States, the National War College (NWC) is a school within the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National ...

. He worked as a congressional secretary from 1919 to 1928 and was admitted to the practice of law in 1926. Robsion briefly settled in

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

in 1928. He returned to Washington to serve as chief of the law division for the United States Bureau of Pensions from 1929 to 1935. Afterward he returned to Louisville to practice law, serving as general counsel for the Kentucky Republican Party from 1938 to 1942. Robsion served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

from 1942 to 1946; he was posted to Africa, Italy, and Austria in that time. From 1946 to 1952 Robsion served as a circuit judge in Kentucky. In 1952, incumbent Louisville Congressman Thruston B. Morton decided against seeking another term in that seat. Robsion sought it and was elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

in 1952 from Kentucky's Third Congressional District (Louisville); he was re-elected to the House in 1954 and 1956. He sought re-election to the House in 1958 but was defeated by Democrat Frank W. Burke. Robsion did not sign the 1956

Southern Manifesto The Declaration of Constitutional Principles (known informally as the Southern Manifesto) was a document written in February and March 1956, during the 84th United States Congress, in opposition to racial integration of public places. The manife ...

and voted in favor of the

Civil Rights Act of 1957 The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first federal civil rights law passed by the United States Congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The bill was passed by the 85th United States Congress and signed into law by President Dwight D. E ...

. Robsion was the Republican nominee for

in 1959 but lost the election to Democrat Bert T. Combs. Combs won 516,549 votes (60.6%) to Robsion's 336,456 (39.4%); the 180,093-vote margin was then a record in a Kentucky state election, eclipsed overall only by

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

's margin over

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...

in the 1932 presidential election. After leaving Congress, Robsion returned to the practice of law. He was a resident of Louisville and

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

. Robsion died in

Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...

on February 14, 1990, and was buried at Cave Hill Cemetery in

.
Robsion Park
in Lyndon, Ky. (Metro Louisville) is named for John M. Robison Jr. and his wife Laura (Drane) Robsion, who died in 1980. Robsion donated the land for the 17-acre park in 1985.

References

External links

Congressional biography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robsion, John M. Jr. 1904 births 1990 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II George Washington University alumni Kentucky state court judges People from Barbourville, Kentucky Politicians from Louisville, Kentucky United States Army officers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky 20th-century American lawyers George Washington University Law School alumni 20th-century Kentucky politicians 20th-century Kentucky state court judges Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives