Michael Waller Robinson (October 13, 1837 – July 23, 1912) was an American lawyer, educator, and politician from

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. Graduating from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

at the age of nineteen, Robinson taught at Baptist State College, where he became college president in 1860. He attended

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

then successfully ran for a seat in the

Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...

. After attending the

1864 Democratic National Convention The 1864 Democratic National Convention was held at The Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois. The Convention nominated Major General George B. McClellan from New Jersey for president, and Representative George H. Pendleton of Ohio for vice preside ...

as a delegate, Robinson decided to move to

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

and became a prominent lawyer there. He served two terms in the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the I ...

in the 1870s.

Biography

Michael Waller Robinson was born in

Fulton, Missouri Fulton is the largest city in and the county seat of Callaway County, Missouri, United States. Located about northeast of Jefferson City and the Missouri River and east of Columbia, the city is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri, Metropolita ...

on October 13, 1837. During his youth, he attended school and worked on the family farm. He attended preparatory school at Fulton College and then

Georgetown College Georgetown College is a private Christian college in Georgetown, Kentucky. Chartered in 1829, Georgetown was the first Baptist college west of the Appalachian Mountains. The college offers 38 undergraduate degrees and a Master of Arts in educa ...

Georgetown, Kentucky Georgetown is a home rule-class city in Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 37,086 at the 2020 census. It is the 6th-largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the seat of its county. It was originall ...

. He was admitted to

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

. He graduated with honors in 1857 at the age of nineteen. Returning to Missouri, he was appointed Professor of Greek and Latin at Baptist State College in

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

. He taught for three years, assuming the presidency of the institution during the last year. In his free time, Robinson studied law under

Alexander William Doniphan Alexander William Doniphan (July 9, 1808 – August 8, 1887) was a 19th-century American attorney, soldier and politician from Missouri who is best known today as the man who prevented the summary execution of Joseph Smith, founder of the Church ...

. Robinson matriculated at the

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most ...

, graduating in 1861. Robinson again returned to Missouri, now practicing law in Fulton with future

Missouri Attorney General The Office of the Missouri Attorney General was created in 1806 when Missouri was part of the Louisiana Territory. Missouri's first Constitution in 1820 provided for an appointed attorney general, but since the 1865 Constitution, the Attorney Gene ...

John A. Hockaday. In 1862, he was elected to the

for a two-year term. In 1864, during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

, he was arrested and held as a military prisoner for several months. Upon his release, Robinson was named a delegate to the

. He was impressed with the city and decided to re-locate there. Robinson became a leading lawyer there, partnering at times with

Lambert Tree Lambert Tree (November 29, 1832 – October 9, 1910) was a United States state court judge, ambassador, and patron of the arts. The Tree Family of America and Early life The Tree family of America were amongst the first colonists from Engla ...

and John V. Le Moyne. He settled in

Lake View, Illinois Lakeview, also spelled Lake View, is one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois. Lakeview is located in the city's North Side. It is bordered by West Diversey Parkway on the south, West Irving Park Road on the north, North Ravenswood A ...

in 1870 and served several terms at town attorney. He was elected to the

in 1874, serving two two-year terms. Robinson was named president of the Democratic State Convention upon expiration of his second term. Upon the annexation of Lake View to Chicago in 1889, Robinson was named assistant counsel to Chicago. He later served as special assessment attorney for the city. In his later years, he focused on real estate investments. Robinson married Leonora C. Paddock on December 23, 1866. They had four sons and two daughters: Walter B., Harbert B., Harold H. Ethel G. and Florence C. Robinson was a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christianity, Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe ...

. He died in Chicago on July 23, 1912, and was buried in

Graceland Cemetery Graceland Cemetery is a large historic garden cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Ir ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Michael Waller 1837 births 1912 deaths Democratic Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives Democratic Party Illinois state senators Yale University alumni Harvard Law School alumni William Jewell College people Politicians from Chicago People from Fulton, Missouri Burials at Graceland Cemetery (Chicago) 19th-century American legislators