Rix Robinson
Encyclopedia
Rix Robinson was a Michigan
pioneer. He was a fur trade
r and the first permanent settler of Kent County, Michigan
, a representative to the state constitutional convention of 1850
and a state senator.
. His parents were Edward and Eunice (Rix) Robinson of Preston, Connecticut
. His father was a blacksmith
and farmer
. Rix was considered a studious child and regularly attended school. At age 19 he began the study of Law
in Auburn, New York
, and was admitted to practice law in 1811.
At the outbreak of the War of 1812
, which his father strongly opposed, Rix headed west to avoid the draft
, with one thousand dollars given to him by his father. He moved to the large outpost of Detroit in the Michigan Territory
where United States Troops were garrisoned and there was a prospering fur trade.
to the American troops during the war. He traveled with the soldiers to Detroit, Mackinac Island
, and Green Bay
, all centers of the fur trade
, where he had the opportunity to study the business first hand. In 1820, the American Fur Company
chose Robinson to be their central fur trader in west Michigan when Madeline La Framboise
retired to Mackinac Island. He took over her trading post located where the Grand River
meets the Thornapple River
in what is now known as Ada
. In 1821 Robinson married an Ottawa woman, Pee-miss-a-quot-oquay, she had one son, John R. Robinson born March 5, 1826. She and Rix separated, and she died of consumption
in 1848. By 1827, Robinson was successfully managing twenty trading posts along the shores of Lake Michigan
. Robinson was elected township supervisor when Kent County
was established in 1831.
He was a Michigan State Senator from 1847 to 1849. During that time he presented a bill to give women the right to vote. It was defeated during the drafting of the state constitution of 1850, but in a step forward in the women's rights movement
, a bill allowing married women the right to control property they owned prior to marriage did pass. He was a delegate to the Michigan Constitutional Convention of 1850 and a presidential elector. He was a strong contender for governor but declined the nomination because his second wife, Se-be-quay, a native American, would not have been accepted as a governor's wife. Rix Robinson died of consumption January 12, 1875. His wife died April 3, 1876. He is buried in Ada, Michigan.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
pioneer. He was a fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
r and the first permanent settler of Kent County, Michigan
Kent County, Michigan
-Air Service:*Commercial air service to Grand Rapids is provided by Gerald R. Ford International Airport . Previously named Kent County International Airport, it holds Grand Rapids' mark in modern history with the United States' first regularly scheduled airline service, beginning July 31, 1926,...
, a representative to the state constitutional convention of 1850
Michigan Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Michigan is the governing document of the U.S. state of Michigan. It describes the structure and function of the state's government....
and a state senator.
Early years
Rix Robinson was born August 28, 1789, in Richmond, MassachusettsRichmond, Massachusetts
Richmond is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,475 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. His parents were Edward and Eunice (Rix) Robinson of Preston, Connecticut
Preston, Connecticut
Preston is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,688 at the 2000 census. The town includes the villages of Long Society, Preston City, and Poquetanuck.-History:...
. His father was a blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
and farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
. Rix was considered a studious child and regularly attended school. At age 19 he began the study of Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
in Auburn, New York
Auburn, New York
Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States of America. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 27,687...
, and was admitted to practice law in 1811.
At the outbreak of the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, which his father strongly opposed, Rix headed west to avoid the draft
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
, with one thousand dollars given to him by his father. He moved to the large outpost of Detroit in the Michigan Territory
Michigan Territory
The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan...
where United States Troops were garrisoned and there was a prospering fur trade.
Fur trading in Michigan
Ironically, Rix became a sutlerSutler
A sutler or victualer is a civilian merchant who sells provisions to an army in the field, in camp or in quarters. The sutler sold wares from the back of a wagon or a temporary tent, allowing them to travel along with an army or to remote military outposts...
to the American troops during the war. He traveled with the soldiers to Detroit, Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island is an island and resort area covering in land area, part of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was home to a Native American settlement before European...
, and Green Bay
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
, all centers of the fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
, where he had the opportunity to study the business first hand. In 1820, the American Fur Company
American Fur Company
The American Fur Company was founded by John Jacob Astor in 1808. The company grew to monopolize the fur trade in the United States by 1830, and became one of the largest businesses in the country. The company was one the first great trusts in American business...
chose Robinson to be their central fur trader in west Michigan when Madeline La Framboise
Madeline La Framboise
Madeline La Framboise , of mixed French and Native American descent, was one of the most successful fur traders in the Northwest Territory. Fur trading was one of the most difficult and dangerous occupations of the time according to historical accounts. She conducted business in the territory that...
retired to Mackinac Island. He took over her trading post located where the Grand River
Grand River (Michigan)
The Grand River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Michigan. It runs through the cities of Jackson, Eaton Rapids, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Grand Haven.-Description:...
meets the Thornapple River
Thornapple River
The Thornapple River is an tributary of Michigan's longest river, the Grand River. The Thornapple is located in western Michigan. It joins the Grand in Ada, Michigan.- Description :...
in what is now known as Ada
Ada Township, Michigan
Ada Township is a civil township of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 9,882. Ada is the corporate home of Alticor and its subsidiary companies Quixtar and Amway.- Communities :...
. In 1821 Robinson married an Ottawa woman, Pee-miss-a-quot-oquay, she had one son, John R. Robinson born March 5, 1826. She and Rix separated, and she died of consumption
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in 1848. By 1827, Robinson was successfully managing twenty trading posts along the shores of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
. Robinson was elected township supervisor when Kent County
Kent County, Michigan
-Air Service:*Commercial air service to Grand Rapids is provided by Gerald R. Ford International Airport . Previously named Kent County International Airport, it holds Grand Rapids' mark in modern history with the United States' first regularly scheduled airline service, beginning July 31, 1926,...
was established in 1831.
Politics
By 1834, the fur trade in Michigan was dwindling due to a shortage of fur-bearing animals, fashion changes in Europe and the expansion of the fur industry in the west. But the biggest impact to the fur industry in Michigan was that Robinson facilitated the Treaty of 1836 which gave half of the lower peninsula of Michigan to the federal Government. In return he received $23,000. This treaty allowed for the wholesale development and settlement of the state and also had a devastating effect on the native Americans. During this time he persuaded many of his relatives to settle in Michigan. By the time Michigan joined the union in 1837, Robinson, who was a wealthy man, had closed all his trading posts and was appointed to the Board of Commissioners of Internal Improvements.He was a Michigan State Senator from 1847 to 1849. During that time he presented a bill to give women the right to vote. It was defeated during the drafting of the state constitution of 1850, but in a step forward in the women's rights movement
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
, a bill allowing married women the right to control property they owned prior to marriage did pass. He was a delegate to the Michigan Constitutional Convention of 1850 and a presidential elector. He was a strong contender for governor but declined the nomination because his second wife, Se-be-quay, a native American, would not have been accepted as a governor's wife. Rix Robinson died of consumption January 12, 1875. His wife died April 3, 1876. He is buried in Ada, Michigan.