Robert P. Robinson - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Robert Pyle Robinson was an American banker and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Republican Party who served as Governor of Delaware.

Early life and family

Robinson was born at “Robinhurst,” now Alban Park, in Wilmington, Delaware, son of Robert L. and Frances Delaplaine Robinson. He married Margaret Fouraker in 1905 and they had three children, Mary Frances, Robert Jr. and Frances Robinson Parsons. They were members of the Hanover Presbyterian Church in Wilmington.

Professional and politics career

Robinson began his career with the Central National Bank, becoming the president of the bank in 1916. He first was exposed to politics when he worked as personal secretary to Delaware U.S. Representative L. Heisler Ball

L. Heisler Ball

Dr. Lewis Heisler Ball was an American physician and politician from Mill Creek Hundred, New Castle County, Delaware, near Stanton. He was a member of the Republican Party, who served as U.S. Representative from Delaware and two terms as U.S. Senator from Delaware...

from 1902 until 1903. In 1914 he lost the close contest for Delaware's Insurance Commissioner by only 98 votes. Ten years later, in 1924, he was a compromise choice to be the Republican candidate for Governor of Delaware and was elected, defeating Joseph Bancroft, the Democratic Party candidate.

Governor of Delaware

During his tenure, the major issues facing state government were related to secondary education and highway construction. With the passage of the controversial School Codes of 1919 and 1921 Delaware was committed to an aggressive program of school construction. Pierre S. du Pont

Pierre S. du Pont

Pierre Samuel du Pont was president of the E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company from 1915 to 1919, and served on its Board of Directors until 1940...

had agreed to get the process started and provided the massive financial support from his own funds. However, that could not continue forever and yet the General Assembly refused to levy additional taxes. Fortunately the new income tax and corporate franchise tax were capable of producing the revenue needed, but it was suspected everyone was not filing as they should have been. To remedy the situation Robinson appointed du Pont himself to be the State Tax Commissioner. Du Pont quickly modernized the office, increased the revenue from the income tax and assured the continuation of the school building program.

Robinson was also a proponent of the organization of the State Board of Charities and he supported a modernized pension system for needy mothers. It was increasingly clear that reform was needed in what is now known as the social services and legislation was introduced to replace the county “almshouses” with a state welfare home. The bill failed to pass, but Florence M. Hanby, who was the first woman elected to the General Assembly, introduced the “Hope Farm Bill” into this session, and it provided funding for the Anti-Tuberculosis Hospital at Hope Farm. Robinson also appointed the first female state Secretary of State

Secretary of State (U.S. state government)

Secretary of State is an official in the state governments of 47 of the 50 states of the United States, as well as Puerto Rico and other U.S. possessions. In Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, this official is called the Secretary of the Commonwealth...

in the United States, Fannie Harrington.

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly

Delaware General Assembly

The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...

(sessions while Governor)
|-
!Year
!Assembly
!
!Senate Majority
!President
pro tempore
!
!House Majority
!Speaker
|-
|1925-1926
|103rd

Delaware General Assembly

|
| |Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

| |Henry C. Downward
|-
|1927-1928
|104th

Delaware General Assembly

|
| |Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

Republican Party (United States)

| |William Wintrup
|-

Death and legacy

Following his term as Governor, Robinson returned to the presidency of the Central National bank in Wilmington. He died at Wilmington and is buried there in the Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery.

Although never a farmer, in 1922 he became Grand Master of the State Grange. The 3-F’s were the way he described his favorite activities: family, farming, and fishing. He was known to disappear from his desk in favor of a local pond. “Competent and diligent, he displayed a certain boyishness and shyness all his life.”

Almanac

Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1st. The Governor takes office the third Tuesday of January and has a four year term.

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Public Offices
|-
! Office
! Type
! Location
! Began office
! Ended office
! notes
|-
|Governor
|Executive

Executive (government)

Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...

|Dover

Dover, Delaware

The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...

|January 20, 1925
|January 15, 1929
|

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Election results
|-
!Year
!Office
!
!Subject
!Party
!Votes
!%
!
!Opponent
!Party
!Votes
!%
|-
|1924
|Governor
|
| |Robert P. Robinson
| |Republican

Republican Party (United States)

| |53,046
| |60%
|
| |Joseph Bancroft
| |Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

| |34,830
| |39%

Images

Hall of Governors Portrait Gallery , Portrait courtesy of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Dover.

External links

Places with more information

Delaware Historical Society
Delaware Historical Society
The Delaware Historical Society began in 1864 as an effort to preserve documents from the Civil War. Since then, it has expanded into a state-wide historical institution with several venues and a major museum in Wilmington and the historic Read House & Gardens in New Castle.The society...

; website; 505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161
University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...

; Library website; 181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965

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