John Robsion, Jr.
| John Marshall Robsion, Jr. | |
 | |
| In office January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1959 | |
| Preceded by | Thruston B. Morton |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Frank W. Burke |
| Born | August 28, 1904 Barbourville, Knox County, Kentucky |
| Died | February 14, 1990 (aged 85) Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
| Resting place | Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Laura Selinda Drane Robsion
Parents: |
| Alma mater | • George Washington University • Georgetown University • National War College (all in Washington, D.C.) |
Military Service
| |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1942–1946 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | World War II (Africa, Italy, Austria) |
John Marshall Robsion, Jr. (August 28, 1904 – February 14, 1990), was a Moderate Republican[1] United States Representative for District 3 in his native Kentucky. He filled the seat from 1953 to 1959 during the first six years of the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration.[2] Robsion was also the unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial nominee in 1959.
Background
Like his father, John Robsion, Sr., also a U.S. Representative, the junior Robsion was born in the small town of Barbourville in Knox County in southeastern Kentucky. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from George Washington University and also attended Georgetown University and the National War College, all in the nationcal capital of Washington, D.C.. He worked as a congressional secretary from 1919 to 1928 and was admitted to the practice of law in 1926.[3]
He briefly settled in Louisville in 1928 but returned to Washington to serve as chief of the law division for the United States Bureau of Pensions from 1929 to 1935. Afterward he returned to Louisville to practice law and served as general counsel for the state GOP from 1938 to 1942. Robsion joined the United States Army during World War II from 1942 to 1946, with service in Africa, Italy, and Austria. From 1946 to 1952 Robsion was a circuit judge in Kentucky.[3]
Political career
In 1952, Moderate Republican U.S. Representative Thruston B. Morton did not seek reelection to the 3rd District House seat. Robsion was then elected to succeed Morton and won re-elected to the House in 1954 and 1956. He sought re-election to the House in 1958 but was defeated by Democrat Frank Welsh Burke in a heavily Democrat year nationally. A supporter of civil rights, Robsion did not sign the 1956 Southern Manifesto pushed by southern segregationists, he also voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1957.[4]
As his party's gubernatorial candidate, Robsion lost to the popular Democrat Bertram Thomas "Bert" Combs (1911–1991), 516,549 votes (60.6 percent) to 336,456 (39.4 percent). Combs margin was the largest majority in a Kentucky state election until that time.
After leaving Congress, Robsion resumed his law practice and resided part of the year in Louisville and the remainder in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he died at the age of eighty-five.[2] He is interred there at Cave Hill Cemetery, along with his wife, the former Laura Selinda Drane, who died on Christmas Day in 1980 after being struck by an automobile in Fort Lauderdale.[5]
References
- ↑ FascinatingPolitics (October 21, 2020). The Rockefeller Republicans. Mad Politics: The Bizarre, Fascinating, and Unknown of American Political History. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 John Marshall Robsion, Jr.. findagrave.com. Retrieved on September 17, 2021.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Congressional biography Robsion, Jr., John. bioguide. Retrieved on September 17, 2021.
- ↑ HR 6127. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1957.. GovTrack.us.
- ↑ Laura Selinda Drane Robsion (1913-1980) - Find A Grave Memorial, accessed September 17, 2021.