George D. Robinson
Encyclopedia
George Dexter Robinson (January 20, 1834–February 22, 1896)
. He attended Lexington Academy and Hopkins Classical School
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
, and graduated from Harvard University
in 1856. While at Harvard he was admitted to the Zeta Psi
fraternity. He was the principal of Chicopee High School from 1856 to 1865. Robinson studied law for nine years with his brother, and earned a masters degree from Harvard. He was admitted to the bar in Cambridge in 1866 and commenced practice in Chicopee. He was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
in 1874 and served in the Massachusetts Senate
in 1876, both times representing Chicopee. He was elected as a Republican
to the Forty-fifth and to the three succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1877, to January 7, 1884, when he resigned, having been elected the 34th Governor of Massachusetts
. He held this position from 1884 to 1887.
As governor, Robinson's accomplishments included fiscal restraint. Nevertheless, he also proposed successful legislation to extend free public education to every student by requiring that textbooks be provided to each student free of charge. He also created a requirement that corporations pay workers weekly and established the Commonwealth's first State Board of Arbitration to resolve disputes between workers and employers.
Upon leaving office, Robinson resumed the practice of law in Springfield, Massachusetts
, at what is now Robinson Dononan PC. It was in this period that he achieved, in 1892, the distinction of serving as Lizzie Borden's defense counsel; for a retainer of $25,000 he was able to secure her acquittal. He remained a prominent lawyer until his death in Chicopee; he is buried in Fairview Cemetery.
Biography
He was born in Lexington, MassachusettsLexington, Massachusetts
Lexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,399 at the 2010 census. This town is famous for being the site of the first shot of the American Revolution, in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775.- History :...
. He attended Lexington Academy and Hopkins Classical School
Hopkins Classical School
The Hopkins Classical School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was a secondary school located near the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Dana Street. It received financial support from the bequest of Edward Hopkins. Staff included John Benjamin Henck. Students included George Martin Lane, William C....
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, and graduated from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1856. While at Harvard he was admitted to the Zeta Psi
Zeta Psi
The Zeta Psi Fraternity of North America was founded June 1, 1847 as a social college fraternity. The organization now comprises about fifty active chapters and twenty-five inactive chapters, encompassing roughly fifty thousand brothers, and is a founding member of the North-American...
fraternity. He was the principal of Chicopee High School from 1856 to 1865. Robinson studied law for nine years with his brother, and earned a masters degree from Harvard. He was admitted to the bar in Cambridge in 1866 and commenced practice in Chicopee. He was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
in 1874 and served in the Massachusetts Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
in 1876, both times representing Chicopee. He was elected as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
to the Forty-fifth and to the three succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1877, to January 7, 1884, when he resigned, having been elected the 34th Governor of Massachusetts
Governor of Massachusetts
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
. He held this position from 1884 to 1887.
As governor, Robinson's accomplishments included fiscal restraint. Nevertheless, he also proposed successful legislation to extend free public education to every student by requiring that textbooks be provided to each student free of charge. He also created a requirement that corporations pay workers weekly and established the Commonwealth's first State Board of Arbitration to resolve disputes between workers and employers.
Upon leaving office, Robinson resumed the practice of law in Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, at what is now Robinson Dononan PC. It was in this period that he achieved, in 1892, the distinction of serving as Lizzie Borden's defense counsel; for a retainer of $25,000 he was able to secure her acquittal. He remained a prominent lawyer until his death in Chicopee; he is buried in Fairview Cemetery.