History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/4/Gifford S. Robinson
[G. S. Robinson]
GIFFORD S. ROBINSON was born on the 28th of May, 1843, in Tazewell County, Illinois. He spent two years in the State Normal University, then took a two-year course in the Law Department of Washington University at St. Louis. He taught three years, a portion of the time in the Preparatory Department of the University. In August, 1862, he enlisted as a private in the One Hundred Fifteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry and served in several of the great battles of the war, among which were Franklin and Chickamauga, where he was severely wounded and discharged from the service in consequence. He came to Iowa in 1870, locating at Storm Lake in Buena Vista County where he entered upon the practice of law. Mr. Robinson was soon after chosen mayor of the town and in 1875 was elected to the House of the Sixteenth General Assembly to represent the Seventy-first District, consisting of the counties of Buena Vista, Pocahontas, Palo Alto and Emmet. Becoming widely known as a legislator of unusual ability in the fall of 1881 he was nominated by the Republican Convention of the district composed of the counties of Woodbury, Plymouth, Sioux, Lyon, Cherokee and Buena Vista for State Senator. He was elected, serving six years with marked ability. In the spring of 1887 he was appointed Railroad Commissioner by Governor Larrabee, but declined. At the Republican State Convention in the summer of 1887, he was nominated for Judge of the Supreme Court and elected in October. He became Chief Justice in 1892 and at the close of his term was reëlected. He retired in January, 1900, removed to Sioux City and resumed the practice of law. But he was not long left in private life, for in February of the same year he was appointed by Governor Shaw member of the State Board of Control for six years. Judge Robinson was a lecturer before the Law Department of the State University, from 1890 to 1900. In June, 1895, the State University conferred upon him the degree of LL.D.