John Robinson (May 8, 1838 – April 28, 1917) was a farmer, businessman, and politician from

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, he served as

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

of Bennington County and

United States Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The Marshals Service serves as the enforcement and security arm of the United States federal judi ...

for the District of Vermont.

Early life

John Robinson was born in

County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

on May 8, 1838, a son of Thomas Robinson and Mary (Flood) Robinson. His family immigrated to the United States in 1839, and Robinson was raised and educated in Shaftsbury and

Bennington Bennington is a New England town, town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester (town), Vermont, Manchester. As of the 2020 United States Census, US Cens ...

. Robinson became a farmer, worked as a foreman for the Henry Burden & Sons iron ore mines, and settled in Bennington.

Business career

Over time, Robinson's farm grew to over 400 acres, and he raised sheep, cattle, and horses. In addition to farming, Robinson was an auctioneer and wool broker. He also speculated in real estate and served on the Savings Bank of Bennington's board of trustees. In addition, Robinson was a member of several fraternal organizations, including the

Elks The Embeddable Linux Kernel Subset (ELKS), formerly known as Linux-8086, is a Linux-like operating system kernel. It is a subset of the Linux kernel, intended for 16-bit computers with limited processor and memory resources such as machines pow ...

and the

Improved Order of Red Men The Improved Order of Red Men is a List of civic, fraternal, service, and professional organizations, fraternal organization established in North America in 1834. It claims direct descent from the colonial era Sons of Liberty. Their rituals and ...

Political career

during an era when Vermont's politics were dominated by

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, Robinson served in several elective offices despite his party affiliation, including town selectman and justice of the peace. He was Bennington's first constable and tax collector from 1872 to 1885, and a deputy sheriff of Bennington County from 1878 to 1882. From 1882 to 1884, Robinson served as Bennington County Sheriff. Democrat

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

assumed the presidency in 1885, and in 1886 he appointed Robinson US Marshal for the District of Vermont. Cleveland lost his 1888 bid for reelection and Republican

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a ...

became president in 1889. In 1890, Harrison appointed Rollin Amsden to succeed Robinson as marshal. Later that year, Robinson was again elected sheriff, and he served until 1892. Cleveland returned to the presidency in 1893, and in 1894 he appointed Robinson to serve as Bennington's

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

. Republican

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

became president in 1897, and appointed Arthur J. Dewey to succeed Robinson.

Later life

Robinson maintained his interest in politics, including accepting Democratic nominations for various offices. In 1904 and 1905, he was an unsuccessful candidate for town trustee of public money. In 1905 he was also an unsuccessful candidate for school board member. In March 1910, he was an unsuccessful candidate for town selectman. In September 1910, he was an unsuccessful candidate for assistant judge. In 1913, he was again an unsuccessful candidate for town trustee of public money.

Death and burial

Robinson died at his home in Bennington on April 28, 1917. He was buried at Park Lawn Cemetery in Bennington. The cemetery was created on land that Robinson had once owned and he was the first president of the corporation formed to found and operate it.

Family

In 1864, Robinson married Margaret Erwin (d. 1923). They were the parents of an adopted daughter, Elizabeth (1877–1964).

References

Sources

Newspapers

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Internet

Books

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, John 1838 births 1917 deaths Law enforcement officials from Vermont Politicians from County Meath People from Bennington, Vermont Vermont Democrats Vermont sheriffs United States Marshals Vermont postmasters 19th-century American politicians Irish emigrants to the United States Police officers from County Meath Businesspeople from County Meath