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Rix Robinson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theMichigan Senate from the5th and7th district | |
| In office 1846–1849 | |
| Preceding | Flavius J. Littlejohn |
| Preceded by | Loren Maynard |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1789-08-28)August 28, 1789 Richmond, Massachusetts, US |
| Died | January 12, 1875(1875-01-12) (aged 85) Ada Township, Michigan, US |
| Occupation | Fur trader, politician |
Eduardo Rix Robinson (August 28, 1789 – January 12, 1875) was an Americanfur trader and politician. He was the first permanent Euro-American settler ofKent County, Michigan, a representative to the stateconstitutional convention of 1850 and astate senator.
Robinson was born August 28, 1789, inRichmond, Massachusetts. His parents were Edward and Eunice (Rix) Robinson ofPreston, Connecticut. His father was ablacksmith andfarmer. He was considered a studious child and regularly attended school.
At age 19, he began studying law inAuburn, New York, and was admitted to practice law in 1811.[1] At the outbreak of theWar of 1812, which his father strongly opposed, Robinson headed west to avoid thedraft, with $1,000 given to him by his father.[2] He moved to the large outpost ofDetroit in theMichigan Territory where United States Troops were garrisoned and there was a prospering fur trade.
Robinson became asutler to the American troops during the war. He traveled with the soldiers to Detroit,Mackinac Island, andGreen Bay, all centers of thefur trade, where he had the opportunity to study the business first hand. In 1820, theAmerican Fur Company chose Robinson to be their central fur trader in west Michigan whenMadeline La Framboise retired to Mackinac Island.[3]
He took over her trading post located where theGrand River meets theThornapple River in what is now known asAda. By 1827, Robinson was successfully managing twenty trading posts along the shores ofLake Michigan. Robinson was elected township supervisor whenKent County was established in 1831.[4]
In 1821, Robinson married an Ottawa woman, Pee-miss-a-quot-oquay.[5] She had one son, John R. Robinson born March 5, 1826. She and Robinson separated, and she later died ofconsumption in 1848.[5]
Robinson remarried Sebequay ("River Woman"), an Ottawa woman and the sister of Nebawnaygezhick ("Part of the Day"), the Ottawa leader of the village on the Thornapple River.[6] Sebequay was a devout adherent to traditional Ottawa culture, and reportedly hated being called by her settler name, Nancy.
During the Ottawa'streaty negotiations with the federal government in 1836, Robinson was an advisor to the Ottawa and a major facilitator of the treaty terms.[7] Following the treaty, Robinson purchased hundreds of acres around the mouth of the Thornapple River for the Ottawa to continue living on.[8]
By 1834, the fur trade in Michigan was dwindling due to a shortage offur-bearing animals, fashion changes in Europe and the expansion of the fur industry in the west.[9] But the biggest impact to the fur industry in Michigan was that Robinson facilitated theTreaty of 1836 which gave half of the lower peninsula of Michigan to the federal government. In return he received $23,000.[10]
This treaty allowed for the wholesale development and settlement of the state and also had a devastating effect on the Native Americans.[11] 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 theBoard of Commissioners of Internal Improvements.
He was a Michigan state senator from 1846 to 1849. He represented the5th district in 1846, and then represented the7th district for the rest of his senate career.[12] During that time he presented a bill to give women the right to vote.[13]
It was defeated during the drafting of the state constitution of 1850, but in a step forward in thewomen's rights movement, a bill allowing married women the right to control property they owned prior to marriage did pass.[13] He was a delegate to the Michigan Constitutional Convention of 1850 and a presidential elector.[14]
He was a strong contender for governor but declined the nomination because Sebequay did not want to be a governor's wife.[15] Robinson died of consumption January 12, 1875. His wife died April 3, 1876. He is buried inAda Township, Michigan.