John Robbins (politician)

John Robbins

John Robbins (* 1808 in Bustleton , Pennsylvania , †  April 27, 1880 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania) was an American politician . Between 1849 and 1855 and again from 1875 to 1877 he represented the state of Pennsylvania in the US House of Representatives .

Career

John Robbins attended the common schools and then studied at the Gunmere Academy in Burlington ( New Jersey ). From 1836 he worked in the steel industry in Philadelphia. At the same time he embarked on a political career as a member of the Democratic Party . He became a member and temporarily president of the District Council of the District of Kensington near Philadelphia, which no longer exists .

In the congressional election of 1848 Robbins was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC , in the fourth constituency of Pennsylvania , where he succeeded Charles Jared Ingersoll on March 4, 1849 . After two re-elections, he was able to complete three legislative terms in Congress by March 3, 1855 . Since 1853 he represented there as the successor to Henry Dunning Moore the third district of his state. In 1854 he renounced another candidacy. His time as a congressman was shaped by the tensions leading up to the civil war and the issue of slavery .

In 1862 Robbins ran unsuccessfully for the office of mayor of his hometown Philadelphia. Otherwise he was involved again in the steel industry; he also held a number of local offices. In the congressional elections of 1874 Robbins was re-elected as a Democrat in Congress, where he represented the fifth constituency of his state between March 4, 1875 and March 3, 1877 as the successor to Alfred C. Harmer . In 1876 he no longer ran. Robbins served on the Philadelphia Education Committee for many years. At times he served as its president. He was also President of the Kensington National Bank . John Robbins died on April 27, 1880 in Philadelphia, where he was also buried.

Web links

• John Robbins in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• John Robbins in the database of Find a Grave (English)

predecessor	Office	successor
Charles Jared Ingersoll	United States House Representative for Pennsylvania (4th constituency) March 4, 1849 - March 3, 1853	William Henry Witte
Henry Dunning Moore	United States House Representative for Pennsylvania (3rd constituency) March 4, 1853 - March 3, 1855	William Millward
Alfred C. Harmer	United States House of Representatives for Pennsylvania (5th constituency) March 4, 1875 - March 3, 1877	Alfred C. Harmer