Lucius Robinson

Lucius Robinson

Lucius Robinson (born November 4, 1810 in Windham , Greene County , New York , † March 23, 1891 in Elmira , New York) was an American politician and governor of the state of New York from 1877 to 1880 .

Early years and political advancement

Lucius Robinson attended public schools in his home country and then the Delaware Academy in Delhi . After studying law and being admitted to the bar in 1832, he began to work in his new profession in Catskill . Robinson became a member of the Democratic Party . Between 1837 and 1840 he was a district attorney in Greene County. Then he moved to New York City , where he joined the Tammany Hall Society. From 1843 to 1847 he served in the New York City Law Firm.

After the founding of the Republicans in the mid-1850s, he left the Democrats and became a member of the new party. Robinson was a member of the New York House of Representatives from 1860 to 1861 . From 1862 to 1865 he headed the State Comptroller of the New York State Audit Office, an office to which he was re-elected in 1876. After the Civil War , Robinson changed his party affiliation again and became a member of the Democrats again. After he had unsuccessfully applied for another term at the Court of Auditors in 1866, he initially worked as a lawyer. In 1871 and 1872 Robinson was a member of a commission to review the New York State Constitution. Lucius Robinson was also one of the directors of the Erie Railroad . In 1876, Robinson was also a delegate to the Democratic National Convention .

Governor of New York

On November 7, 1876 he was elected the new governor of his state. He was the first governor of this state to enjoy a three-year term. The extension of the term of office from two to three years was passed in 1874 as part of an amendment to the state constitution. Lucius Robinson was thus able to serve as governor between January 1, 1877 and January 1, 1880. During this time, the new capitol in the capital Albany was completed and a school for adults opened. Governor Robinson defied Tammany Hall's wishes and lost their support. Its then head John Kelly decided to run for the next gubernatorial election himself. Since Robinson ran again, the Democratic Party was split. The Republican Alonzo B. Cornell , who won the elections and was Robinson's successor in January 1880, benefited from this.

After the end of his governorship, Robinson withdrew from politics. He died of pneumonia in March 1891. Ex-Governor Robinson was married twice and had a total of three children.

Web links

• Lucius Robinson in the National Governors Association (English)
• Lucius Robinson in the database of Find a Grave (English)