John McCracken Robinson (April 10, 1794 April 25, 1843) was a United States Senator from Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

.

Born near Georgetown, Kentucky

Georgetown, Kentucky

Georgetown is a city in Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 29,098 at the 2010 census. The original settlement of Lebanon, founded by Rev. Elijah Craig, was renamed in 1790 in honor of President George Washington. It is the home of Georgetown College, a private liberal arts...

, he attended the common schools and graduated from Transylvania University

Transylvania University

Transylvania University is a private, undergraduate liberal arts college in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with the Christian Church . The school was founded in 1780. It offers 38 majors, and pre-professional degrees in engineering and accounting...

 at Lexington

Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...

. He studied law, and was admitted to the bar

Bar (law)

Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...

 and began practice in Carmi, Illinois

Carmi, Illinois

Carmi is a city in White County, Illinois, along the Little Wabash River. The population was 5,240 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of White County.-Demographics:...

 in 1818. He was a judge of the Illinois Supreme Court, and served as a general in the State militia

Militia

The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...

. He was elected in 1830 as a Jacksonian (later a Democrat to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John McLean

John McLean

John McLean was an American jurist and politician who served in the United States Congress, as U.S. Postmaster General, and as a justice on the Ohio and U.S...

. He was reelected in 1835 and served from December 11, 1830, to March 3, 1841, and was not a candidate for reelection. While in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Engrossed Bills (Twenty-second Congress) and a member of the Committees on Militia (Twenty-second through Twenty-fourth Congresses) and Post Office and Post Roads (Twenty-fourth through Twenty-sixth Congresses).

Robinson was elected an associate justice

Associate Justice

Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...

 of the Illinois Supreme Court in 1843 and served until his death two months later in Ottawa, Illinois

Ottawa, Illinois

Ottawa is a city located at the confluence of the Illinois River and Fox River in LaSalle County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 18,786...

. His interment was in the Old Graveyard, Carmi, Illinois.