Jonathan Robinson (August 11, 1756November 3, 1819) was an American politician, lawyer, and judge from the state of

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 ...

who served as chief justice of the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The court ...

and a

United States senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

Early life

Robinson was born in

Hardwick, Massachusetts Hardwick is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States, about northwest of the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, Worcester. It had a population of 2,667 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

, on August 11, 1756, a son of Samuel Robinson and Mercy (Leonard) Robinson. He was raised in Hardwick, and in 1761 he moved with his family to

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 ...

, in what would later become Vermont but was then governed as part of New Hampshire – the

New Hampshire Grants The New Hampshire Grants or Benning Wentworth Grants were land grants made between 1749 and 1764 by the colonial governor of the Province of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth. The land grants, totaling about 135 (including 131 towns), were made ...

. Robinson's father was an important leader in the New Hampshire Grants, and died while in England attempting to resolve a dispute over whether New Hampshire or New York had the right to grant land and town charters. After moving to Bennington, Robinson was educated locally, then served in the militia during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. He served as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

and

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...

in the company commanded by Joseph Safford, which was part of the regiment commanded by Ebenezer Walbridge. Safford's company was mobilized in May 1779, November 1780, August 1781, and August 1782. Robinson later went into business as the proprietor of the State Arms House tavern, which was located where the

Bennington Battle Monument The Bennington Battle Monument is a stone obelisk located at 15 Monument Circle, in Bennington, Vermont, United States. The monument commemorates the Battle of Bennington during the American Revolutionary War. In that battle, on 16 August 177 ...

now stands. He later decided to study law, and 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 1796.

Career

Robinson was a longtime holder of local and state office, and became identified with the

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed li ...

at its founding. In addition to terms as a Bennington justice of the peace and member of the

board of selectmen The select board or board of selectmen is commonly the Executive (government), executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms. Three ...

, among the offices in which he served were: member of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives a ...

(1789–1796, 1797–1802, 1818–1819); Bennington town clerk (1795–1801); judge of probate for the Bennington district (1795–1798, 1800–1801, 1815–1818); and

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

(1801–1807). In addition to his business, legal, and political careers, Robinson was also active in the Vermont Militia; in April 1787, he was appointed a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in the militia's 1st Brigade. In August 1787, he was assigned as the brigade's

judge advocate Judge-advocates are military lawyers serving in different capacities in the military justice systems of different jurisdictions. Australia The Australian Army Legal Corps (AALC) consists of Regular and Reserve commissioned officers that prov ...

. In each year from 1803 to 1806, Robinson was the Democratic-Republican nominee for governor, and lost each time to

Isaac Tichenor Isaac Tichenor (February 8, 1754December 11, 1838) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as the third and fifth governor of Vermont and United States Senator from Vermont. Biography Tichenor was born in Newark in the Province of N ...

. In 1807, Robinson was elected 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 ...

, filling the unexpired term of

Israel Smith Israel Smith (April 4, 1759 – December 2, 1810) was an American lawyer and politician. He held a wide variety of positions in the state of Vermont, including as a member of the United States House of Representatives, a member of the United Sta ...

, who had resigned. He was elected to a full term in 1809 and served until retiring after the end of his term in 1815.

Awards

In 1790, Robinson received the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

. In 1803, Dartmouth awarded Robinson an honorary

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

Death and burial

Robinson died on November 3, 1819, in Bennington, Vermont. He is interred at the Old Bennington Cemetery in Bennington.

Family

Robinson was the husband of Mary (Fassett) Robinson. They were the parents of four children: Jonathan Edwards, Mary, Henry, and Isaac Tichenor. Mary Robinson was the wife of Orsamus Cook Merrill. Robinson's brother

Moses Robinson Moses Robinson (March 22, 1741 – May 26, 1813) was a Vermont political figure. When Vermont was an independent republic, he was its first chief justice and served a one-year term as governor. As governor, he superintended the negotiations t ...

served as governor during the

Vermont Republic The Vermont Republic, officially known at the time as the State of Vermont, was an independent state in New England that existed from January 15, 1777, to March 4, 1791. The state was founded in January 1777, when delegates from 28 towns met ...

as a U.S. senator. Brother

David Robinson David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1989 to 2003, and minority owner of the Spurs. Nicknamed ...

was a major general in the Vermont Militia and U.S. Marshal for Vermont. Brother

Samuel Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venera ...

was a colonel in the militia and served as Speaker of the

Attempt to locate portrait

Robinson is one of approximately 45 U.S. senators for whom the Senate's photo historian has no likeness. Attempts to locate one have proved unsuccessful.

References

External links

Jonathan Robinson
at The Political Graveyard
Govtrack.us: Sen. Jonathan Robinson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Jonathan 1756 births 1819 deaths Chief justices of the Vermont Supreme Court Members of the Vermont House of Representatives United States senators from Vermont People from Hardwick, Massachusetts Vermont lawyers Politicians from Bennington, Vermont Vermont Democratic-Republicans Democratic-Republican Party United States senators 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century United States senators 19th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly Candidates in the 1803 United States elections Candidates in the 1804 United States elections Candidates in the 1805 United States elections Candidates in the 1806 United States elections