William Henry Robertson (October 10, 1823 – December 6, 1898), also known as W. H. Robertson,Welch, Richard E. Jr. (1971). George Frisbie Hoar and the Half-Breed Republicans, p. 102. Harvard University Press. was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He served in the New York State Assembly, the New York State Senate, and the United States House of Representatives, and was later appointed Collector of the Port of New York by President James A. Garfield. His appointment sparked a major feud between the Half-Breed and Stalwart factions of the Republican Party.
Robertson allied with the GOP Half-Breed faction,About the Vice President | Levi Parsons Morton, 22nd Vice President (1889-1893). United States Senate. Retrieved February 12, 2022.Dwyer, Owen. Stalwarts vs. Half-Breeds: Charisma and Vindictiveness in 19th Century Politics. Aspects of History. Retrieved February 12, 2022. which supported moderate civil service reformFascinating Politics (October 26, 2019). James G. Blaine: The Defeated Candidate . Mad Politics: The Bizarre, Fascinating, and Unknown of American Political History. Retrieved February 12, 2022. and emphasized protectionist tariffs and industrial growth.
Early life and legal career Robertson was born on October 10, 1823, in Bedford, Westchester County, New York, the son of Henry Robertson (d. 1881). He received an academic education, attended the common schools and Bedford Union Academy, studied law, and began practice in his native town.
Political and judicial career Robertson was a Whig member of the New York State Assembly (Westchester County, 1st District) in 1849 and 1850.
He was a member of the New York State Senate (7th District) in 1854 and 1855.
He served as Judge of the Westchester County Court from 1856 to 1866.
He joined the Republican Party upon its organization in 1855 and was a presidential elector in 1860, voting for Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin.
U.S. Congress Robertson was elected as a Republican to the 40th United States Congress, representing New York's 10th congressional district, and served from March 4, 1867, to March 3, 1869.
Return to the State Senate He was again a member of the State Senate from 1872 to 1881, sitting in the 95th through 104th legislatures. He represented the 9th District from 1872 to 1879 and the 12th District from 1880 to 1881.
In 1874, after a constitutional amendment created it as a standing office, he was chosen President pro tempore of the New York State Senate. He remained in this post until his retirement from the Senate in May 1881 upon his federal appointment.Autobiography of Thomas Collier Platt (edited by L. J. Lang, New York, 1910)
Collector of the Port of New York and the Stalwart–Half-Breed feud In 1881, Robertson was appointed Collector of the Port of New York by President James A. Garfield, whose nomination he had helped to secure by leading a part of the New York delegation at the 1880 Republican National Convention to shift their support from Grant.
Robertson's nomination to the collectorship, made without consulting the two Republican U.S. Senators, Roscoe Conkling and Thomas C. Platt, and, according to their claims, in violation of the President's pledge, led to the resignation of the two senators and resulted in a serious party split.Stalwarts, Half Breeds, and Political Assassination. National Park Service. Retrieved February 12, 2022. In the bitter struggle between the Stalwart and the Half-Breed factions which followed, Robertson was active in the campaign that resulted in the election of new senators in the place of Conkling and Platt.
Robertson was a delegate to the 1884 Republican National Convention and held the collectorship until 1885.
Later career After leaving the collectorship, Robertson resumed his law practice.
He was again a member of the State Senate (12th District) from 1888 to 1891, sitting in the 111th, 112th, 113th, and 114th legislatures.
Death Robertson died on December 6, 1898, in Katonah, New York, at the age of 75.
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