A. Heaton Robertson
A. Heaton Robertson | |
|---|---|
 Robertson in a 1908 publication | |
| Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives | |
| In office 1880–1882 | |
| Member of the Connecticut Senate from the 8th district | |
| In office 1885–1886 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Abram Heaton Robertson September 24 or September 25, 1850 |
| Died | August 6, 1924 (aged 73) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Relations | John Brownlee Robertson (father) |
| Children | 3 |
| Occupation | Businessman, judge, lawyer, politician |
Abram Heaton Robertson (September 24 or 25, 1850 – August 6, 1924) was an American businessman, judge, lawyer, and politician.
Early life and education
[edit]Robertson was born on September 24 or 25, 1850, in New Haven, Connecticut, to politician John Brownlee Robertson, and Mabel Maria Heaton. In 1872, he graduated from Yale College,[1] where he was a peer of physicist Edward Bouchet, who possibly worked as an attendant for his father.[2] In 1874, he graduated from Columbia Law School. He received an honorary degree from Trinity College in 1894.[1]
Career
[edit]Robertson began practicing law in 1875. As a businessman, he was director of the New York, Ontario and Western Railway, the Harlem River and Port Chester Railroad, and the Southern New England Telephone Company, as well as some banks.[1][3]
A Democrat, Robertson served in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1880 to 1882, then in the Connecticut State Senate from the 8th district, from 1885 to 1886.[1][4] From 1887 to 1895, he served as judge of the New Haven Probate Court.[3] He also unsuccessfully ran in the 1904 Connecticut gubernatorial election, getting 41.5% of the vote and losing to Henry Roberts.[5]
In the 1908 Democratic National Convention, Robertson was unanimously nominated to run on the Democratic ticket in the 1908 Connecticut gubernatorial election.[6] He got 43.5% of the vote and lost to George L. Lilley. Also in 1908, he unsuccessfully ran for the Connecticut House of Representatives, getting one vote.[5]
Robertson also unsuccessfully ran in the 1905 and the 1909 United States Senate election in Connecticut.[3] In the 1909 election, the Assembly chose Morgan Bulkeley instead of him.[7] In his campaigns, he appealed to the working class, calling himself 'Mr. Workingman' in newspaper advertisements.[8]
Personal life and death
[edit]Robertson was a member of the University Club of New York, among other clubs. He married Graziella Ridgway; they had three children together.[1] He died on August 6, 1924, aged 73, near Pinehurst, North Carolina, of an illness he contracted while travelling to visit his brother, J. Brownlee Robertson Jr.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "ABRAM HEATON ROBERTSON" (PDF). pp. 178, 179. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
- ^ Mickens, Ronald E. (2002-02-04). Edward Bouchet: The First African-american Doctorate. World Scientific. p. 72. ISBN 978-981-4488-88-4.
- ^ a b c d "A. HEATON ROBERTSON DIES.; Ex-Judge of Probate in New Haven Was a Prominent Democrat. (Published 1924)". The New York Times. 1924-08-07. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
- ^ "The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Robertse to Robertson". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
- ^ a b "State of Connecticut Elections Database » Candidate: A. Heaton Robertson". State of Connecticut Elections Database. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
- ^ "ROBERTSON IS NAMED.; New Haven Judge Is Nominated for Governor at Connecticut Convention. (Published 1908)". The New York Times. 1908-09-17. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
- ^ Murphy, Kevin J. (2011). Crowbar Governor: The Life and Times of Morgan Gardner Bulkeley. The Driftless Connecticut Ser. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press. pp. 162–165. ISBN 978-0-8195-7075-8.
- ^ "A. Heaton Robertson". The New Haven Union. 2 November 1908. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-10-21.