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Higher Office(s) Served: Representative

GEORGE D. ROBINSON, the thirty-sixth governor of Massachusetts, was born in Lexington, Massachusetts on January 20, 1834. His education was attained at the Hopkins Classical School in Cambridge, and at Harvard University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in 1856 and his A.M. degree in 1860. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1866, and then established his legal career in Chicopee, Massachusetts. Robinson entered politics in 1874, serving as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, a position he held one term. He also served as a member of the Massachusetts State Senate in 1876, as well as serving as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1877 to 1884. In 1883, Robinson secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and then went on to win election to the Massachusetts governorship on November 6, 1883. He was reelected to a second term in 1884, and to a third term in 1885. During his tenure, a state board of arbitration was instituted; a law was sanctioned that granted free textbooks for all students; and legislation was passed that enforced corporations to pay workers on a weekly basis. After declining to run for reelection, Robinson left office on January 5, 1887, and retired from public service. Governor George D. Robinson, who gained a reputation from his defense of accused murderer Lizzie Borden, passed away on February 22, 1896.  He was buried in the Fairview Cemetery in Massachusetts.

Sources:

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 2, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.

Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress

The Famous Americans

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