John Robsion, Sr.
| John Marshall Robsion, Sr. | |
 | |
| In office January 3, 1935 – February 17, 1948 (died in office) | |
| Preceded by | Fred M. Vinson |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | William Lewis |
Interim United States Senator
for Kentucky | |
| In office January 11, 1930 – November 30, 1930 | |
| Appointed by | Flem Sampson |
| Preceded by | Frederic Mosley Sackett |
| Succeeded by | Ben Mitchell Williamson |
U.S. Representative for
Kentucky's 11th Congressional District (since disbanded) | |
| In office March 4, 1919 – January 10, 1930 | |
| Preceded by | Caleb Powers |
| Succeeded by | Charles Finley |
| Born | January 2, 1873 Berlin, Bracken County Kentucky |
| Died | February 17, 1948 (aged 75) Barbourville, Knox County, Kentucky |
| Resting place | Barbourville Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Annie E. Robsion |
| Children | John M. Robsion Jr. |
| Religion | Disciples of Christ[1] |
John Marshall Robsion, Sr. (January 2, 1873 – February 17, 1948), was a Republican U.S. Representative from his native Kentucky. He represented two since disbanded districts, and he also was in 1930 an eleven-month interim United States Senator. in 1930.[2]
Robsion's voting record was largely conservative, in contrast to his Moderate Republican son.
Background
Robsion was born in Berlin, an unincorporated community in Bracken County in northern Kentucky thirty miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended what is now Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio, and Holbrook College in Knoxville, Tennessee. He graduated from the National Normal University in Lebanon, Ohio, and then in 1900 earned a law degree from Centre College in Danville, Kentucky.
Robsion taught in public schools for several years and at Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky. He also practiced law and was a bank president.[3]
Political career
House career, 1919–30
He represented District 9 from 1935 until his death in 1948, and earlier District 11 from 1919 until 1930. He served in his first stint in the House as the chairman of the Committee on Mines and Mining.[3] His son, John Robsion, Jr., was also a U.S. Representative, having served for District 3 from 1953 to 1959, and he was the unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial nominee in 1959, when he was defeated by Democrat Bertram Thomas "Bert" Combs (1911–1991).[4]
In 1922, Robsion joined the vast majority of House Republicans in voting for anti-lynching legislation that year, the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill, sponsored by his "Old Guard" Missouri colleague Leonidas C. Dyer.[5] During his early years in Congress, Robsion was an apparent Moderate Republican in his voting record,[6] though grew increasingly conservative in subsequent congressional sessions.
Brief senatorial stint
In 1930, Robsion was an unsuccessful candidate for the Senate seat that he had held for eleven months on appointment from Governor Flem Sampson. The vacancy was created by the resignation of fellow Republican Frederic Mosley Sackett (1868–1941).
In 1930, Robsion was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the same Senate seat.[3][7] The winner of the regular general election was the Democrat Marvel M. Logan who received 52.1 percent of the vote, with Robsion holding the remaining 47.9 percent.[8]
Return to the House
After leaving the Senate, Robsion resumed the practice of law and was elected in 1934 to the United States House of Representatives, a post which he filled until his death. He was a delegate to the 1944 Republican National Convention[2] that nominated Governor Thomas E. Dewey of New York, who ran unsuccessfully against another New Yorker, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Among further introduced anti-lynching legislation in the House, Robsion voted for the Gavagan–Wagner Act[9] and Gavagan–Fish Act[10] in 1937 and 1940 respectively. He in addition gave support to a 1942 measure that would outlaw the poll tax in most federal elections.[11]
During the 1939–40 congressional session, Robsion voted with the conservative side a solid 92% of the time, a sharp contrast to his first few House years.[12] His strong conservatism was also present in the 1945–46 session.[13]
Death in office
Robsion died while in office, and among his funeral attendees included Alben Barkley, John Sherman Cooper, and Sampson.[14] He is interred in his native Barbourville along with his wife, Annie E. Robsion (1876–1964), at Barbourville Cemetery. His son, however, is interred at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.[15]
See also
- James S. Golden, Kentucky Republican representative from the 9th and 8th districts
References
- ↑ Robinson-briggs to Rockum. The Political Graveyard. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 John Marshall Robsion (1873-1948) - Find A Grave Memorial, accessed September 17, 2021.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 John M. Robsion (id: R000358), Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, accessed September 17, 2021.
- ↑ KY Governor Race - Nov 03, 1959. Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ↑ TO PASS H. R. 13.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ↑ FascinatingPolitics (January 13, 2021). 67th-congress.pdf. Mad Politics: The Bizarre, Fascinating, and Unknown of American Political History. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ↑ November 6, 1930. Kentucky Democrat Leads Senator Robsion By Margin That Indicates Certain Victory. The New York Times. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ↑ KY US Senate Race - Nov 04, 1930. Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ↑ TO PASS H. R. 1507, AN ANTI-LYNCHING BILL.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ↑ TO PASS H.R. 801, A BILL TO MAKE LYNCHING A FEDERAL CRIME.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ↑ TO PASS H.R. 1024 WHICH DECLARES ILLEGAL THE REQUIREMENT OF A POLL TAX AS A PREREQUISITE FOR VOTING OR REGISTERING TO VOTE FOR PRESIDENT, VICE-PRESIDENT, OR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE.. GovTrack.us. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ↑ FascinatingPolitics (March 25, 2020). 1939-40-mc-index.3.pdf. Mad Politics: The Bizarre, Fascinating, and Unknown of American Political History. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ↑ FascinatingPolitics (July 31, 2020). 1945-46-civil-rights-converted.pdf. Mad Politics: The Bizarre, Fascinating, and Unknown of American Political History. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ↑ February 22, 1948. JOHN M.. ROBSION FUNERALI; Barkley, Cooper and SampsonI at Representative's Rites '1. The New York Times. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ↑ John Marshall Robsion Jr. (1904-1990) - Find A Grave Memorial, accessed September 17, 2021.
External links
- JOHNM, ROBSION, 70, LON6 IN CONGRESS; Kentucky Representative Five 'Times Is Dead--Had Served 'in Senate for a Year via The New York Times – article content behind paywall