John Robbins (congressman)

This article is about the Pennsylvania congressman. For other people by the same name, see John Robbins (disambiguation).

John Robbins
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 4th district
In office
March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853
Preceded byCharles J. Ingersoll
Succeeded byWilliam H. Witte
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 3rd district
In office
March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855
Preceded byHenry D. Moore
Succeeded byWilliam Millward
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 5th district
In office
March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877
Preceded byAlfred C. Harmer
Succeeded byAlfred C. Harmer
Personal details
Born1808 (1808)
Bustleton, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedApril 27, 1880(1880-04-27) (aged 71–72)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Resting placeLaurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic Party
SpouseTacy W. Robbins
Alma materGunmere Academy
Professionbanker, steel manufacturer, politician

John Robbins (1808 – April 27, 1880) was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district from 1849 to 1853, Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district from 1853 to 1855, and Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district from 1875 to 1877.

Early life and education

John Robbins was born in Bustleton, Pennsylvania, (now a part of Philadelphia), and raised on his father's farm.[1] He was a student at the Gunmere Academy in Burlington, New Jersey.[2]

Business career

He moved to Philadelphia in 1836 and engaged in the manufacture of steel.[2] He served as a director of the Kensington National Bank[3] and as president from 1863 to 1864.[4]

Political career

John Robbins tombstone in Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia

He served as a member of the board of education[3] and as a member and president of the board of commissioners of the district of Kensington, Pennsylvania.[2]

Robbins was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-first, Thirty-second congresses, representing the fourth district of Pennsylvania from March 4, 1849, to March 3, 1853; and to the Thirty-third Congress representing the third district from March 4, 1853, to March 3, 1855. In 1850, he voted in favor of the Fugitive Slave Act. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1854, and was an unsuccessful candidate for the office of the Mayor of Philadelphia in 1860.[2]

He worked as an inspector of Moyamensing Prison, a Guardian of the Poor at Blockley Almshouse, a Director of Girard College, and a manager of the House of Correction and the House of Refuge.[1]

Again elected to the Forty-fourth Congress, for the fifth district, Robbins served from March 4, 1875, to March 3, 1877; but declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1876.[2]

He died in Philadelphia, on April 27, 1880,[2] and was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b Poore, Ben Perley (1876). Official Congressional Directory Volume 44 Issue 1, Part 2. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. p. 55. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Robbins, John ca. 1808-1880". bioguide.congress.gov. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  3. ^ a b The National Banks of the United States. New York. December 1864. p. 142. Retrieved February 15, 2024.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ Holdsworth, John Thom; Fisher, John S. (1928). Financing an Empire - History of Banking in Pennsylvania. Chicago: The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company. p. 383. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  5. ^ Spencer, Thomas E. (1998). Where They're Buried: A Directory Containing More Than Twenty Thousand Names of Notable Persons Buried in American Cemeteries, With Listings of Many Prominent Persons Who Were Cremated. Baltimore, Maryland: Clearfield Company, Inc. p. 291. ISBN 0-8063-4823-2. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district
March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district
March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district
March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877 		Succeeded by


Stub icon

This article about a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.