Robert J. Gamble | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| United States Senator fromSouth Dakota | |
| In office March 4, 1901 – March 3, 1913 | |
| Preceded by | Richard F. Pettigrew |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Sterling |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromSouth Dakota'sat-large district | |
| In office March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1901 | |
| Preceded by | Freeman T. Knowles |
| Succeeded by | Eben W. Martin |
| In office March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897 | |
| Preceded by | William V. Lucas |
| Succeeded by | Freeman T. Knowles |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Jackson Gamble (1851-02-07)February 7, 1851 Genesee County,New York, U.S. |
| Died | September 22, 1924(1924-09-22) (aged 73) Sioux Falls,South Dakota, U.S. |
| Resting place | Yankton City Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Relations | Gamble family |
Robert Jackson Gamble (February 7, 1851 – September 22, 1924) was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative and Senator fromSouth Dakota. He was the father ofRalph A. Gamble and brother ofJohn Rankin Gamble, members of South Dakota's prominentGamble family.
Gamble was born inGenesee County, nearAkron, New York, the son of Robert Gamble and Jennie (Abernethy) Gamble.[1] In 1862, he moved with his parents toFox Lake, Wisconsin.[1] In 1874, he graduated fromLawrence University inAppleton, Wisconsin with aBachelor of Science degree, and he later received hisMaster of Science from Lawrence.[1][2] While attending college, Gamble taught school in the summer to pay his tuition.[2] After graduating, hestudied law with theMilwaukee firm of Jenkins, Elliot & Wheeler, and wasadmitted to the bar in 1875.[2] He moved toYankton in the portion of theDakota Territory which later becameSouth Dakota.[2]
ARepublican, he became a district attorney for the second judicial district of theTerritory of Dakota in 1880, and was Yankton's city attorney in 1881 and 1882.[2] He served on the Territorial Council in 1885.[2] In 1894, he was elected to Seat B, one of South Dakota's two at-large seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, and he served in the Fifty-fourth Congress.[2] He ran unsuccessfully for reelection in 1896, but was again elected to Seat B in 1898, and served in the Fifty-sixth Congress.[2] During the Fifty-sixth Congress, he became the chairman of theU.S. House Committee on Expenditures on the Public Buildings.[3]
In 1901, Gamble was elected to theUnited States Senate.[2] Re-elected in 1906, he served until March 1913, after being an unsuccessful candidate for renomination.[2] During his senate career, he was chairman of the:Committee on Indian Depredations (57th Congress);Committee on Transportation Routes to the Seaboard (58th to 60th Congresses);Committee on Indian Affairs (62nd Congress); andCommittee on Enrolled Bills (64th Congress).[3]
In 1915, Gamble moved toSioux Falls and resumed the practice of law.[3] From 1916 to 1924, he served as a referee inbankruptcy for the southern district of South Dakota. He was a member of the National Executive Committee of theLeague to Enforce Peace.[3]
Gamble died in Sioux Falls on September 22, 1924, aged 73, and was buried at Yankton City Cemetery in Yankton.[3]
In 1909,Lawrence University posthumnously awarded Gamble thehonoraryLL.D.[1]
In 1884, Gamble married Carrie S. Osborne ofPortage, Wisconsin.[1] They were the parents of two sons,Ralph and George.[1]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | South Dakota's at-large congressional district 1895–1897 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | South Dakota's at-large congressional district 1899–1901 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | United States Senator (Class 2) from South Dakota 1901–1913 | Succeeded by |
| Class 2 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
Chairs of theUnited States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full Committee (1820–1947) | | |
| Select Committee (1977–1993) | ||
| Full Committee (1993–) | ||
| Twoat-large seats (1889–1913) |
|  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Districts (1913–1983) |
| ||||||
| One at-large seat (1983–present) |
| ||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
