Robinson, Charles, 1818-1894

Variant names

Hide Profile

Charles Robinson was born at Hardwick, Mass., July 21, 1818. He was educated at Hadley Academy, Amherst Academy, and Amherst College. For 8 years he studied medicine and in 1843 opened his own practice in Belchertown, Mass. He married Sarah Adams the same year, but she died in 1846. In 1849 he went to California for his health, and while there became a newspaper editor, was indicted for murder but acquitted, and was elected to the Legislature. He returned to Massachusetts in 1851, resumed his medical practice, and married Sara T.D. Lawrence. In 1854 he came to Kansas as an agent for the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Co. and quickly became a leader of the antislavery movement. He served as the 1st state governor, 1861-63; a University of Kansas regent, 1864-74 & 1893-94; a member of the Legislature; and superintendent of Haskell Institute (now Haskell Indian Nations University) (Lawrence, Kan.), 1887-88. He died Aug. 17, 1894.

Sara Tappan Doolittle Lawrence was born at Belchertown, Mass., July 12, 1827. She was educated in the classical school at Belchertown and at Salem Academy. Sara shared the antislavery fight in Kansas with her husband and in 1856 published a book about the struggle, "Kansas, Its Interior and Exterior Life." She spent much effort trying to correct untrue published accounts of Kansas history and prevent John Brown from achieving hero status. She died Nov. 15, 1911.

From the description of The private papers of Charles and Sara T.D. Robinson ... in the holdings of the Kansas State Historical Society [microform] / a microfilm publication of the Kansas State Historical Society in cooperation with the National Historical Records Commission ... ; editor, Joseph W. Snell ; assistant editor, Mrs. Eunice L. Schenck ; microfilm technician, George T. Hawley, 1834-1911. (Kansas State Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 52728601

Charles Robinson (1818-1894) had a long and varied career. This collection relates to his interest in Kansas, and his eventual move there in 1854 as an agent of the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Company. He became a leader in the movement to have Kansas admitted as a free state, and under the Topeka Constitution of 1855, Robinson was elected governor. This effort failed, and in 1861 when Kansas was finally admitted to the Union under the Wyandotte Constitution, Robinson was again elected governor and assumed office. From 1864-1874 he was a regent of the University of Kansas. He re-entered the political arena in 1882 and served in the State House of Representatives as well as the Senate. In 1893, he was again appointed a regent of the University of Kansas, which office he held until his death in 1894. Sara Tappan Doolittle Robinson (1827-1911) shared with her husband the fight for a free Kansas. She became a noted historian of that period of Kansas history.

Additional biographical information is available in the finding aid to LG 16.

From the description of Charles Robinson Papers, 1850-1918. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122387657

Charles Robinson served as the first governor of Kansas. From 1864 to 1874 he was a regent of the University of Kansas and again in 1893 to 1894. He served two terms in the state Senate, one in 1874 and again in 1876. Later, from 1887 to 1889, he was superintendent of Haskell Institute in Lawrence. Under his superintendent a policy of industrial training was begun at Haskell. For additional biographical information see Dictionary of American Biography, vol. 16 and The Life of Charles Robinson, by F. W. Blackmar.

NOTE: The Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka, has the largest collection of private papers of Charles and Sara T. D. Robinson. See the Guide to the Microfilm Edition of the Private Papers of Charles and Sara T. D. Robinson, 1834-1911.

From the guide to the Papers, 1836-1911, (University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library Kansas Collection)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Souza, Ronald J. "Bloody Kansas" : architects of destruction, Sen. J. H. Lane and Gov. C. Robinson, (also Quantrell's raids on Kansas) : newspaper articles about the activities of Lane and Robinson, Jan. 1856 - Oct. 1864 / collected and transcribed by Ronald J. Souza. Kansas State Historical Society
creatorOf Robinson, Charles, 1818-1894. Papers. Ohio History Connection, Ohio Historical Society
referencedIn Manuscript for "Governor Charles Robinson of Kansas, " with editorial markings, published by the University Press of Kansas. Lawrence, Kansas., 1975 University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library Kanas Collection
referencedIn George W. Collamore papers, ca 185_-1869, 1854-1869 University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library Kanas Collection
referencedIn Hutchinson, William, 1823-1904. William Hutchinson papers, 1855-1902. Kansas State Historical Society
referencedIn Phillips, Wendell, 1811-1884. Papers, 1555-1882 (bulk: 1833-1881) Houghton Library
referencedIn Montgomery, James, 1814-1871. James Montgomery papers, 1859-1906. Kansas State Historical Society
referencedIn Papers, 1840-1905 University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library Kanas Collection
referencedIn Correspondence, 1846-1878 University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library Kanas Collection
referencedIn William Avery Stratton Correspondence, 1864-1940 (Bulk 1864-1880) Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
creatorOf White, William Allen, 1868-1944. Papers of William Allen White, 1890-1940 [manuscript]. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Charles Robinson [photograph], [ca. 1856-1857]. Massachusetts Historical Society
creatorOf Lawrence, Amos Adams, 1814-1886. Amos Adams Lawrence papers, 1817-1886. Massachusetts Historical Society
referencedIn Heard, John, fl. 1850. Letter from John Heard to Peter H. Burnett, 1850. Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens
referencedIn Correspondence, 1862-1863 University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library Kanas Collection
referencedIn Horton, Albert H. (Albert Howell), 1837-1902. Albert H. Horton letters and telegrams received, 1872-1933 (bulk 1892-1895). Kansas State Historical Society
referencedIn Letter from Sara T. D. Robinson, Oakridge (Lawrence, Kansas), to Professor and Mrs. Charles G. Dunlap, March 5, 1902 University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library Kanas Collection
referencedIn Correspondence University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library Kanas Collection
referencedIn Robinson, Sara T. L. (Sara Tappan Lawrence), 1827-1911. [Letter from Sara T. D. Robinson, Oakridge, Lawrence, Kansas, to professor and Mrs. Charles G. Dunlap] University of Kansas Archives / MSS / Rare Books, Kenneth Spencer Research Library
creatorOf Robinson, Charles, 1818-1894. The private papers of Charles and Sara T.D. Robinson, 1834- 1911 [microform] : in the holdings of the Kansas State Historical Society. HCL Technical Services, Harvard College Library
referencedIn Higginson, Thomas Wentworth, 1823-1911. Thomas Wentworth Higginson papers [microform], 1855-1860, 1907 (bulk 1855-1860). Kansas State Historical Society
referencedIn Letter, 1891 Mar. 25 University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library Kanas Collection
referencedIn Brown, John, 1821-1895. Letter to [Franklin Benjamin Sanborn], 1884 January 5. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn New England Emigrant Aid Company. New England Emigrant Aid Company papers. [microform] / editor, Joseph W. Snell. Assistant editor: Eunice L. Schenck. Microfilm technician: George T. Hawley, 1854-1909. Kansas State Historical Society
creatorOf Thayer, Eli, 1819-1899. Papers, 1843-1903. Brown University Archives, John Hay Library
creatorOf Papers, 1836-1911 University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library Kanas Collection
creatorOf Robinson, Charles, 1818-1894. Charles Robinson letters [microform], 1867. Kansas State Historical Society
creatorOf Robinson Family. Robinson Family Papers, 1834-1911. Michigan State University Libraries, Main Library
referencedIn Letters to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1761-1904 (inclusive), 1820-1888 (bulk) Houghton Library
referencedIn Sears, William Henry, 1858-1933. William Henry Sears papers, 1853-1932. Kansas State Historical Society
referencedIn Thompson, Herbert, 1871-1929. Letter, 1891 Mar. 25, Lawrence, Kan., [to] father, [Edwardsville, Kan.] / Herbert Thompson. University of Kansas Archives / MSS / Rare Books, Kenneth Spencer Research Library
creatorOf Robinson, Charles, 1818-1894. The private papers of Charles and Sara T.D. Robinson ... in the holdings of the Kansas State Historical Society [microform] / a microfilm publication of the Kansas State Historical Society in cooperation with the National Historical Records Commission ... ; editor, Joseph W. Snell ; assistant editor, Mrs. Eunice L. Schenck ; microfilm technician, George T. Hawley, 1834-1911. Kansas State Historical Society
creatorOf Bowditch, Henry I. (Henry Ingersoll), 1808-1892. John Brown collection, 1861-1918. Massachusetts Historical Society
referencedIn Scrapbooks, 1857-1894 University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library Kanas Collection
referencedIn Horton, Albert H. (Albert Howell), 1837-1902. Albert H. Horton letters and telegrams received [microform], 1872-1933 (bulk 1892-1895). Kansas State Historical Society
referencedIn Charles H. Branscomb papers, 1853-1886 University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library Kanas Collection
creatorOf Robinson, Charles, 1818-1894. Charles Robinson Papers, 1850-1918. Michigan State University Libraries, Main Library
referencedIn Manuscript collection., 1789-196-. University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library Kanas Collection
creatorOf Collamore, George W., d. 1863. Papers, 1772-1865. Massachusetts Historical Society
referencedIn Hill, Hiram, 1804-. Hiram Hill collection, 1823-1910. Kansas State Historical Society
creatorOf Kansas. Governor (1861-1863 : Robinson). Kansas Governor Charles Robinson letters and other items received, 1861-1863. Kansas State Historical Society
referencedIn Letters, 1850-1909 University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library Kanas Collection
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Blackmar, Frank Wilson, 1854-1931 person
associatedWith Booth, Edw. How it was done.. . person
associatedWith Branscomb, Charles H. person
associatedWith Brown, John, 1821-1895. person
associatedWith Collamore, George W, ca. 1818-1863 person
associatedWith Collamore, George W., d. 1863. person
associatedWith Dealer person
associatedWith Douglas County Historical Society, Lawrence, Kansas. corporateBody
associatedWith Free Soil Party corporateBody
associatedWith George, Henry, 1829-1897 person
associatedWith Goodnow, Isaac T., 1814-1894. person
associatedWith Heard, John, fl. 1850. person
associatedWith Higginson, Thomas Wentworth, 1823-1911. person
associatedWith Hill, Hiram, 1804- person
associatedWith Holliday, Cyrus Kurtz, 1826-1900. person
associatedWith Horton, Albert H. (Albert Howell), 1837-1902. person
associatedWith Hutchings, John, 1836- person
associatedWith Hutchinson, William, 1823-1904. person
associatedWith Ingalls, John James, 1833-1900. person
associatedWith Kansas. Constitutional Convention (1855) corporateBody
associatedWith Kansas. Constitutional Convention (1857) corporateBody
associatedWith Kansas. Governor (1861-1863 : Robinson) corporateBody
associatedWith Land, James Henry. person
associatedWith Lane, James Henry, 18 -1866 person
associatedWith Lawrence, Amos, 1786-1852. person
associatedWith Lawrence, Amos Adams, 1814-1886. person
correspondedWith Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, 1807-1882 person
associatedWith Miller, Josiah, 1828-1870 person
associatedWith Montgomery, James, 1814-1871. person
associatedWith New England Emigrant Aid Company. corporateBody
associatedWith New England Emigrant Aid Company, Boston corporateBody
correspondedWith Phillips, Wendell, 1811-1884 person
associatedWith Robinson Family. family
associatedWith Robinson, Sara Tappen Doolittle 1827-1911. person
associatedWith Robinson, Sara T. D. (Sara Tappan Doolittle), 1827-1911 person
associatedWith Robinson, Sara T. L. (Sara Tappan Lawrence), 1827-1911. person
associatedWith Sears, William Henry, 1858-1933 person
associatedWith Stanton, Elizabeth Cady, 1815-1902. person
associatedWith Thayer, Eli, 1819-1899. person
associatedWith Thompson, Herbert, 1871- person
associatedWith Thompson, Herbert, 1871-1929. person
associatedWith United States. Army. American Expeditionary Forces. corporateBody
associatedWith White, William Allen, 1868-1944. person
associatedWith Wilson, Don W. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Camp Sherman (Ohio)
United States
Kansas
Kansas
Ohio
Kansas
France
Kansas
Germany
Subject
American letters
American letters
Business records
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Governor
Kansas. History. 1854-1861
Kansas. University. History
Land. Kansas. Lawrence
Lawrence Massacre, Lawrence, Kan., 1863
Lecompton Constitution, 1857
Politics
Public lands
Speeches, addresses, etc., American
State universities and colleges
World War, 1914-1918
Occupation
Activity

Person

Birth 1818-07-21

Death 1894-08-17

Information

Permalink: http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6794cnp

Ark ID: w6794cnp

SNAC ID: 35432066