James H, Robinson was born two miles from Greeneville, on June 26, 1835, and is the son of James and Mary (Temple) Robinson. The father was born in Greene County, and was the son of David Robinson, who was a native of Virginia, and immigrated to Tenenessee at a very early date and was one of the pioneers of Greene County. The father was a farmer and a prominent citizen, and for a number of years served as magistrate. He died in 1863, his funeral occurring on the last day General Longstreet’s army passed through Greeneville, going into Virginia. The mother was born in Greene County, and was the daughter of Thomas Temple, a native of Greene County, who was the son of Maj. Temple, a native of North Carolina, who participated in the battle of King’s Mountain. She died in 1867. Our subject was reared on the farm, and attended school at Tusculum College. While in school his health failed him, and he visited California, where he remained for over two years. Returning home he studied law for a time and then re-entered Tusculum College, from which school he graduated with honor on June 7, 1860, he being the valedictorian of the graduating class of that year. He at once resumed his law studies in Greeneville under Maj. James Britton, and on February 18, 1861, was admitted to the bar, his license being signed by Judge David T. Patterson and ,Chancellor Seth J. W. Lucky. He was not sworn in at once, and the war coming up, upon advice of friends he did not take the oath until after the war. He enlisted in the Confederate service in 1862, and was appointed deputy agent at Greeneville, which he held until the latter part of that year. and then enlisted in Capt. Jackson’s Company of the Eighty-first Regiment of Confederate Tennessee Infantry, as a private. He was with his regiment but a short time until he was appointed provost-marshal and put in command of Greene County, with the rank of captain. He served in that capacity until the evacuation of East Tennessee by the Confederate troops. On leaving Greeneville he became a member of Col. Battles’ Cavalry Battalion, which organization was composed of a number of parts of different regiments. His health failed him after awhile, and he left the ranks, and purchased the newspaper outfit of the Southern Banner, which he removed to Wytheville, and published a weekly paper until the close of the war, and issued the last paper in the Confederacy, an issue being made after Gen. Lee’s surrender, the paper being common brown wrapping paper. He was with his command, however, at the surrender at Christiansburg, Va., in 1865. At the close of the war he went to Illinois and then to Louisville, Ky., where he was engaged for a few weeks as salesman in a wholesale merchandising house. From Louisville he went to Batesville, Ark., where he began the practice of his profession, he having previously been licensed to practice in the courts of Arkansas. He removed to East Tennessee in 1869 and settled in Greeneville, forming a partnership with Maj. A. H. Pittibone. He remained with Maj. Pettibone for about five years, and then formed a partnership and practiced with Thomas Maloney, and with him was counsel for four years for President Johnson’s estate, and conducted the noted case, before the supreme court, of Bessie M. Johnson, the widow of Andrew Johnson, Jr., against the administration of President Johnson’s estate, which case was argued four different times before the supreme bench of Tennessee. He began practicing by himself, and has continued up to the present, having built up a fine practice and established for life an excellent professional standing, and for six years was local attorney for the East Tennessee & Virginia Railway. He is a man of fine legal talent, and a progressive and public spirited citizen, broad and liberal in his views. He has always encouraged all public enterprises of a worthy nature, and is now president of the board of enterprise of Greene County. He takes an active part in politics, and, during recent canvasses, stumped a large portion of this section. He takes an interest in public schools and churches, and is a member of and an elder in the Presbyterian Church of Greeneville. He was married to Ellen Temple, June 7, 1860, only a few moments after he delivered his valedictory address at college. His wife was born in Greene County, April 19, 1843, and is the daughter of Col. M. S. Temple, one of the prominent citizens of Greene County, who represented his county in the State Legislature, and was also at one time superintendent of the East Tennessee & Virginia Railway. To this union eight children have been born, two of whom are dead. The eldest, Frank P., is a practicing physician of Cocke County, and Bird M., another son, is connected with the Indian agency at Standing Rock, Dakota, who read law with his father, and on November 6, 1883, was licensed to practice by the supreme court of Tennessee. June 6, 1873, our , subject was called to Tusculum College, and the degree of A. M. conferred upon him. He is, and has been for years, a trustee of Tusculum College. He was prosecuting lawyer in the celebrated case of Johnson vs. McHenry.
