George D. Robinson

George Dexter Robinson
Portrait c. 1900
34th Governor of Massachusetts
In office January 3, 1884 – January 6, 1887
Lieutenant	Oliver Ames
Preceded by	Benjamin Butler
Succeeded by	Oliver Ames
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts
In office March 4, 1877 – January 7, 1884
Preceded by	Chester W. Chapin
Succeeded by	Francis W. Rockwell
Constituency	11th district (1877–83) 12th district (1883–84)
Member of the Massachusetts Senate from the 2nd Hampden district
In office January 5, 1876 – January 3, 1877
Preceded by	Henry Fuller
Succeeded by	Henry C. Ewing
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
In office 1874
Personal details
Born	George Washington Robinson (1834-01-20)January 20, 1834 Lexington, Massachusetts
Died	February 22, 1896(1896-02-22) (aged 62) Chicopee, Massachusetts
Political party	Republican
Spouses	Hannah Stevens ​ ​ (m. 1859; died 1864)​ Susan Simonds ​ (m. 1867)​
Alma mater	Harvard College
Signature

George Dexter Robinson (born George Washington Robinson; January 20, 1834 – February 22, 1896) was an American lawyer and Republican politician from Chicopee, Massachusetts. After serving in the Massachusetts General Court and United States House of Representatives, Robinson served three one-year terms as Governor of Massachusetts, notably defeating Benjamin Franklin Butler in the 1883 election.

After leaving office, his most famous legal client was Lizzie Borden, notoriously accused of killing her father and stepmother. She was acquitted in a highly sensationalized trial.

Born in Lexington and educated at Harvard, Robinson taught high school before becoming a lawyer. He gained a reputation as a fine Parliamentarian while serving in Congress. As governor, he promoted the passage of civil service reform legislation and labor-friendly wage and dispute-resolution laws. He aligned with the state's industrial leaders against public health advocates, and banned discrimination in the issuance of life insurance policies. As a lawyer, he gained notoriety for Borden's defense, and was criticized for defending fraudulent fraternal benefit societies.