John Mitchell Robinson (December 6, 1827 – January 14, 1896) was an American jurist who served as

chief judge Chief judge may refer to: In lower or circuit courts The highest-ranking or most senior member of a lower court or circuit court with more than one judge. * Chief judge (Australia) * Chief judge (United States) In supreme courts Some of Chief ...

of the

supreme court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, the

Court of Appeals An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear a case upon appeal from a trial court or other lower tribunal. Appellat ...

Early life

John Mitchell Robinson was born on December 6, 1827, in Tuckahoe Neck,

Caroline County, Maryland Caroline County is a rural County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 33,293. Its county seat is Denton, Maryland, Denton. The county is part of the Eastern Shor ...

, to Peter Robinson and Sarah Mitchell Robinson. He attended public schools in

Denton, Maryland Denton is a town in Caroline County, Maryland, United States. Its population was 4,418 as of the 2010 United States Census, and it is the county seat of Caroline County. History Denton was established in 1781. It was first called Eden Town, for S ...

, and graduated from

Dickinson College Dickinson College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1773 as Carlisle Grammar School, Dickinson was chartered on September 9, 1783, ...

in 1847. He went on to study law under the tutelage of William M. Meredith, Richard B. Carmichael, and Madison Brown, and was admitted to the

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in 1849.

Career

After admission to the bar, Robinson began to practice law in

Centreville, Maryland Centreville is an incorporated town in Queen Anne's County, Maryland, Queen Anne's County, Maryland, United States on the Delmarva Peninsula. Incorporated in 1794, it is the county seat of Queen Anne's County. The population was 4,285 at the 201 ...

. In 1850, he served as Deputy Attorney General for

Queen Anne's Queen Anne's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 49,874. Its county seat and most populous municipality is Centreville. The census-designated place of Stevensville ...

and

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

Counties. He also served as State's Attorney for Queen Anne's County from 1851 to 1855, and later as judge of the Queen Anne's and Kent Counties Circuit Court, Third Judicial District, from 1864 to 1867. In 1867, Robinson was appointed to the newly reconfigured

Maryland Court of Appeals The Supreme Court of Maryland (previously the Maryland Court of Appeals) is the highest court of the U.S. state of Maryland. The court, which is composed of one chief justice and six associate justices, meets in the Robert C. Murphy Courts of ...

as an associate judge. He served in that position until 1884, when he resigned to bid for the Democratic nomination to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

. In 1893, he returned to the court as Chief Judge, and served in that position until his death.

Personal life

Robinson married Marianna Stoughton Emory, with whom he had five daughters and one son. Robinson died on January 14, 1896, in

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

. He was buried at "Waverly" in

Queen Anne's County Queen Anne's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 49,874. Its county seat and most populous municipality is Centreville. The census-designated place of Stevensville ...

References

Chief justices of the Supreme Court of Maryland Dickinson College alumni Maryland lawyers 1827 births 1896 deaths People from Caroline County, Maryland People from Denton, Maryland People from Centreville, Maryland 19th-century Maryland state court judges 19th-century American lawyers {{Maryland-state-judge-stub