The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-09-28
GEORGE robson DEAD
Grants Secretary Of the Navy
Passes Away Quietly
at Trenton.
Especial to ..The Jersey city News.al

IcHctldl III II JtlScy lily l>tWS.
TRENTON, Sept. IS. ls9I.-George M.
Rabeson, former secretary of the United
States Navy and for many years con-
spicuous in national and State affairs, died
at his residence, No. 1856 West State
street, of congestion of the lungs, at an
early hour last evening. He was 6S years
of age. A widow and one child. Miss
Ethel Robson, survive him..
George NJ. Robson was in his day one
of the most prominent of Jerseymen. He
was born at Oxford Furnace, Warren
county, in 1929. in the same house where
his cousin. Col. Morris r. Hamilton. the
State Librarian, first saw the light Of day
ten years before. His father was Judge
William P. Robson of the Warren Coun-
ty Court. The elder Roteson was a ma
tive of Philadelphia and was at one time
an associate judge at the Philadelphia
County Courts. His maternal ancestors
were the Maxwells. his uncle and grand
father both serving in Congress from New
Jersey.
Young Robson at an early age matric-
ulated at Princeton College, and when
under IS years of age graduated with
heners. He was a classmate of Senator
Don Cameron of Pennsylvania.
On leaving college he entered The law
offices of the late Chief Justice Horn
blower in Newark, and in 1856 he was adj
naitted to the bar of New Jersey For a
short time he practiced law in Newark
and then removed to Jersey City, where
he formed a partnership with Justice Me-
vitls.
In 1855, while Mr.. Robson was still
practieing in Jersey City. he was appoint
ed Prosecutor of the Pleas of Camden
county and removed to the city of Cam
den. He then became a law partner of
Alden G.. SeoveI and in 1852 he was APP
pointed by Governor Oiden to lake charge
of a camp of volunteers at Woodbury. for
the organization of troops in South Jer-
sey. This gave him the title of general,
and he served as mastering officer until
the end of the war.
In 1868, when Frederick T. Freling-
huysen, the then Attorney General of the
State was elected Senator, he recon-
mended George M. Robson for the vacant
Attorney Generafship, to which position
Governor Ward appointed him.
President Grant, on June Is, 1869, ap-
pointed General Robson Secretary of the
United States Navy, and he held that Of
fee until March 4, S7I, when he retired
with his colleagues in the cabinet of Pres
lident Grant. While secretary of the
navy General Robson married the
widow of Commodore Aufick, and she
now survives him. Her son. Richard
Aulick, died here only a few weeks g
When General Robson retired from
the Navy Department he returned to
amde and became a factor in politics
there. In 1878 he was elected to represent
the First Congressional District of New
Jersey in Congress by a plurality of over
1000 and he was reelected in 1880 by a pfu-
rality of@bver 1900. He was prominent
in Congress as an anti-P. r. r. man, and
then he sought a reelection in 1882 the
SewelI forces in South Jersey defeated
him, electfng Thomas NJ. Farrell OF Glou-
cester by a large plurality.
He returned TO Camden, where he re-
stunned the practice OF law. The railroad
forces. however, were too strong for him
in South Jersey and in a short time he
came to Trenton to build up a law prac-
tice. But although he was one of the
ablest lawyers in New Jersey he never
made much progress after coming here,
and several years ago he retired alto
gether.
AT the time of the great railroad con-
test in the United States Courts some few
years ago between the Philadelphia and
Reading Railroad and the Pennsylvania
Railroad, wherein the question of whether
or not the PENNSYLVANIA Railroad had a
right to run. its trains over the tracks Of
the New York and Long Branch Railroad
w 4 CAAH~ (tAt %St<6 49, q
quite conspicuous. He was among the ar
ray of legal l~uminaIies in The case and
exhibited wonderful powers. Among the
other lawyers there appeared Roscoe
Conk1in. Clarence EDWARD. Barker Gum
mere. Sr, Frank GoWan and his brother,
and Lawyer Keaechie, the three last
named being eminent Philadelphia praeti-
TONERS. He was the last survivor of his
list OF noted lawyers.
General Robson was a member of the
Union Ciu OF New York n the Union
League of Philadelphia. He was passion
ately fond of fishing and hunting, and
nearly always spent his summer vaca-
tioils at a gun club on Long Island.
Two sisters survive him. One is Miss
Annie Robescn. who lives at the Hotel
Windsor. and the other Mrs. Emma Price.
a widow, of Philadelphia, Tbs latter is
now on the ocean on her way from
Europe and may reach home in time for
the funeral; No date has ret baen fixed
for the funeral.