Samuel Robinson, Jr. (August 15, 1738 – May 3, 1813) was an early

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 ...

political and military leader who served an officer in 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 ...

and as

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

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 ...

Biography

Samuel 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 15, 1738. He was the son of Samuel Robinson, Sr. (1707–1767), one of Vermont's earliest white settlers. Samuel Robinson's brothers included

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 ...

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 ...

, and Jonathan Robinson. At the age of 17 he served in his father's company of militia during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

. The younger Robinson succeeded his father as one of Bennington's agents who attempted to resolve the dispute between

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

and

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

over control of colonial Vermont. During the American Revolution Robinson was active in the

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

, commanding a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

at the

Battle of Bennington The Battle of Bennington was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, part of the Saratoga campaign, that took place on August 16, 1777, on the John Green farm in Walloomsac, New York, about from its namesake, Bennington, Vermont. An American ...

and rising to the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. In 1777 and 1778 Robinson served as custodian of

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

prisoners. Samuel Robinson was a member of Vermont's Board of War and was one of the first Justices of the Peace appointed in Vermont. As Judge for the court with jurisdiction over southern Bennington County, in 1778 Robinson presided over the trial of David Redding, who had been accused of stealing a horse. Redding was prosecuted by

Ethan Allen Ethan Allen ( – February 12, 1789) was an American farmer, writer, military officer and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for the capture of Fort Ticonderoga during the American Revolutionary War, and wa ...

, and was convicted and executed by

hanging Hanging is killing a person by suspending them from the neck with a noose or ligature strangulation, ligature. Hanging has been a standard method of capital punishment since the Middle Ages, and has been the primary execution method in numerou ...

. Robinson served in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1779 to 1780, serving as Speaker in 1780. Robinson died in Bennington on May 3, 1813, and is buried in Bennington's Old Cemetery.Gravestone photos
by contributor Haley Amber Cook-Maine, Samuel Robinson page, Find A Grave web site, February 12, 2011

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Samuel 1738 births 1813 deaths People from Hardwick, Massachusetts Politicians from Bennington, Vermont People of Massachusetts in the French and Indian War People of Vermont in the American Revolution People from colonial Massachusetts Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives People from pre-statehood Vermont