Joseph
Taylor Robinson, the son of a farmer, was born in Lonoke County, Arkansas,
on 26th August, 1872. After graduating from the University of Arkansas
he entered the law department of the University of Virginia and was
admitted to the bar in 1895.
Robinson
worked as a lawyer in Lonoke, Arkansas. A member of the Democratic
Party, he was elected to the 58th Congress in 1902. He held his
seat until resigning to become Governor of Arkansas in January 1913.
After only three months as governor he was elected to the Senate.
Robinson
was minority leader (1923-1933) and was chairman of the Committee
on Public Lands. Alfred Smith chose Robinson
as his vice presidential candidate in 1928. However, Herbert
Hoover, the Republican Party candidate,
won with 21,391,381 votes to 15,016,443.
In
1933 Robinson became majority leader and this brought him into conflict
with Huey Long. Robinson opposed Long's
Share Our Wealth campaign. Long responded
by claiming that Robinson was under the control of big business. Accused
of corruption, Robinson had on a couple of occasions to be physically
restrained from assaulting Long on the Senate floor.
During
his period in the Senate he was chairman of the Committee on Expenditures
in the Treasury Department and served on the Committee on Claims.
Joseph Taylor Robinson died in Washington
on 14th July, 1937.
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