National Governors Association

Born: June 22, 1853
Died: May 1, 1929
Birth State: New York
Party: Republican
Family: Married Carrie Elizabeth Smith; three children
Religion: Congregationalist
School(s): Yale University, Yale University Law School, Columbia University

Periods in Office:	From:	January 4, 1905
	To:	January 9, 1907

State Web Site

HENRY ROBERTS, Connecticut's 44th governor, was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 22, 1853. In 1878 he graduated from Yale University, he studied at Columbia University for one year, and in 1879 earned a law degree from Yale Law School. After practicing law for several years, Roberts entered into his father's manufacturing business, the Hartford Woven Wire Mattress Company, and served as company's president from 1886 to 1907. He invested in several lucrative business transactions and served as director in various corporations. Roberts entered politics in 1897 as alderman of Hartford. He also served as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1899 to 1901, was a member of the Connecticut State Senate from 1901 to 1902, and was lieutenant governor of Connecticut from 1903 to 1905. Roberts won the 1904 Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected Governor of Connecticut. During his tenure, legislation passed that banned bakeries from operating below ground level, and a bill was launched that systematized the operation of automobiles. Also enacted during Robert's administration was the fortification of the public's safety from private enterprises and public officials fraudulent practices, and the failure of non-support of wives was met with jail sentences. Roberts left office on January 9, 1907, and he returned to his various business interests. He also served as president of the Hartford Water Board, and was a trustee of the Slater Industrial School in North Carolina. Governor Henry Roberts died on May 1, 1929, and is buried at the Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford, Connecticut.

Sources:

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 1, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.

The Political Graveyard

Who Was Who in America, 1897-1942,Vol. 1, Chicago, IL., A.N. Marquis Company, 1943.