Moses Robinson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theVermont House of Representatives | |
| In office 1802–1803 | |
| Preceded by | Jonathan Robinson |
| Succeeded by | Nathan Robinson |
| Constituency | Bennington |
| United States Senator fromVermont | |
| In office October 17, 1791 – October 15, 1796 | |
| Preceded by | None (position created) |
| Succeeded by | Isaac Tichenor |
| 2ndGovernor of theVermont Republic | |
| In office October 13, 1789 – October 20, 1790 | |
| Lieutenant | Joseph Marsh |
| Preceded by | Thomas Chittenden |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Chittenden |
| Chief Judge of theVermont Supreme Court | |
| In office 1785–1788 | |
| Preceded by | Paul Spooner |
| Succeeded by | Nathaniel Chipman |
| In office 1782–1783 | |
| Preceded by | Elisha Payne |
| Succeeded by | Paul Spooner |
| In office 1778–1780 | |
| Preceded by | None (position created) |
| Succeeded by | Elisha Payne |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1741-03-22)March 22, 1741 |
| Died | May 26, 1813(1813-05-26) (aged 72) |
| Resting place | Old Bennington Cemetery, Bennington, Vermont |
| Party | Anti-Administration Democratic-Republican |
| Spouses |
|
| Relations | Jonathan Robinson (brother) Samuel Robinson (brother) John S. Robinson (grandson) |
| Children | 6 |
| Occupation | Farmer Land speculator |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Vermont Republic |
| Service | Vermont Militia |
| Years of service | 1776–1781 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | Vermont Council of Safety |
| Commands | Moses Robinson's Regiment |
| Wars | American Revolutionary War |
Moses Robinson (March 22, 1741 – May 26, 1813) was aVermonter and laterAmerican politician. When Vermontwas an independent republic, he was its first chief justice and served a one-year term as governor. As governor, he superintended the negotiations that led to Vermont'sadmission to the Union as the fourteenth state in the United States. He then served as one of the first twoUnited States senators from Vermont.
Robinson was born inHardwick, Massachusetts, a son of Samuel Robinson (1707–1767) and Mercy (Leonard) Robinson (1714–1793). He was raised in Hardwick, and in 1761 he moved with his family toBennington, in what would later become Vermont but was then governed as part of New Hampshire – theNew Hampshire Grants. His father was an important leader in the New Hampshire Grants, and died while in England attempting to resolve a dispute over whether New Hampshire or New York had the right to grant land and town charters there.
Moses Robinson soon became an important citizen of Bennington in his own right, serving astown clerk from 1762 to 1781. He farmed and speculated in land, and became active in the American independence movement, serving as acolonel in the Vermontmilitia during theAmerican Revolution.[1]
In 1778, when the government of Vermont was erected after Vermont declared independence in 1777, Robinson became a member of the governor's council andchief justice of theVermont Supreme Court.[2] In 1782 he was sent to theContinental Congress as a state agent to attempt to solve the ongoing governance dispute with New York.[1] He served on the governor's council until 1785 and as chief justice until 1789, when he becamegovernor of Vermont, replacingThomas Chittenden. Robinson served as governor until October 1790, almost five months before Vermont was admitted as a state to theUnited States, and was succeeded by Chittenden.
In 1789 Robinson received thehonorary degree ofMaster of Arts fromYale University, and in 1790 he received the same honor fromDartmouth College.
After Vermont's admission to the Union in 1791, Robinson was elected by theVermont General Assembly to one of Vermont's twoUnited States Senate seats. He served in the Senate for five years of his six-year term, from October 17, 1791, to October 15, 1796, when heresigned.[3] He became associated with the anti-administration faction and, later in his term, with the beginnings of theDemocratic-Republican Party ofThomas Jefferson. He was the Democratic-Republican nominee in the1797[4] and1798[5] gubernatorial elections, losing both times to FederalistIsaac Tichenor.
After his retirement from the Senate, Robinson moved back to Bennington and resumed farming andland speculation. He served in theVermont House of Representatives in 1802.
Robinson died in Bennington and is interred at theOld Bennington Cemetery.[1]
Robinson married Mary Fay, daughter of Stephen Fay, a leader ofGreen Mountain Boys, and sister ofJoseph Fay andDavid Fay. They had six sons. His second wife, after Mary's death, was Susanah Howe.
Robinson was the older brother ofJonathan Robinson andSamuel Robinson, who were also prominent in Vermont's political history.[6] GovernorJohn S. Robinson was the son of Nathan Robinson and the grandson of Moses Robinson.[7]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| First | Anti-Federalist nominee forGovernor of Vermont 1789,1790 | Succeeded by None |
| Democratic-Republican nominee forGovernor of Vermont 1797,1798 | Succeeded by | |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by none – first in line | U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Vermont 1791—1796 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Vermont Republic 1789—1790 | Succeeded by |
| Class 1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
