Howard Robinson (1885-1977), historian, teacher, author, and academic administrator, was born in Redwood Falls, Minnesota, on July 17, 1885 to James and Adele M. Chapman Bostwick. On September 25, 1906, he married Elizabeth Peavey and had three children, Madeline Winifred (dec.), Hester Adele, and Arthur Howard (b. 1915). A 1908 A.B. degree graduate from Hamline University, in 1911 he received an A.M. in History from Columbia University and a B.D. from Union Theological Seminary. Intended for the ministry, Robinson lost his faith in divinity school and so decided to become a historian.
After completing his Ph.D. in History at Columbia University in 1916, Robinson taught church history at Wesleyan Theological Seminary (Montreal, Canada) before returning to Minnesota to teach history at Carleton College (1916-1924). In 1924, he accepted a position at Miami University at Oxford, Ohio, as Professor of History and Acting Dean, then later Dean of the College of Liberal Arts (1930-35). He joined the faculty of Ohio State University in 1935, and two years later, Robinson came to Oberlin College as a professor of British History; in his final year of service Robinson served as Acting Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (1948-49).
While on sabbatical leave in Oxford, Howard Robinson met and married Gladys "Jenny" Wrenn (1891-1976), a social secretary of the English Speaking Union, on July 22, 1931. She was born in London, England, on August 7, 1891, and retained her British citizenship all her life. During World War II, she was active in British War Relief and the Clothes for Europe Campaign. After the war, she worked with war brides in a district extending from Sandusky to Mansfield, Ohio, to help these women adjust to living in the U.S. Residing in Oberlin since 1937, Jenny was an active member of Christ Church.
In terms of historical research interests, Robinson specialized in nineteenth century social development and the British Empire as well as in seventeenth century rationalism. In all, he published nine books, including his dissertation titled: The Great Comet of 1680&emdash;A Study in the History of Rationalism (Northfield, Minnesota, 1916). Robinson's first major monograph was Bayle the Sceptic (New York, 1931), which still remains the only book-length study in English of the seventeenth century French rationalist, Pierre Bayle (1647-1706). Drawn naturally into English history, he authored two standard textbooks, The Development of the British Empire (New York, 1922, revised ed. 1936) and a History of Great Britain (New York, 1927). In 1948, he wrote The British Post Office: A History (Boston; New York, 1948), an early milestone in the burgeoning field of administrative history. The latter title was the first book to win the Robert Livingston Schuyler Prize of the American Historical Association. Additionally, in 1949, the Ohio Academy of History gave Robinson's post office book its annual certificate of award for outstanding historical achievement.
In retirement, Robinson not only continued his scholarly pursuits but also became more productive. The high acclaim of his prize-winning book led to the publication of The British Post Office: A History of Development from the Beginnings to the Present Day (New York; London, 1953), and Carrying British Mails Overseas (New York, 1964), and an invitation from the University of Queensland led to his writing The Postal Service of Australia (Brisbane, 1957). As a result of the success of these titles, Robinson was given an appointment to New Zealand's Post Office Staff in 1960-61 and commissioned (by the government) to write A History of the Post Office in New Zealand (Wellington, N.Z., Government Printer, 1964).
During the Watergate probe in the early 1970s, Emeritus Professor Robinson wrote an article on President Richard Nixon and the impeachment process entitled "Impeachment and the Presidency Before and During the Nixon Years," which appeared in the Oberlin Alumni Magazine, (Vol. 71, No. 6, Nov./Dec. 1975). In addition, because of his study and interest in genealogy and etymology, he was frequently asked to speak on those topics by Oberlin College and community groups.
Howard Robinson died on January 26, 1977, at the age of 91. His second wife, Jenny, had pre-deceased him by three months when she was struck by a car on September 28, 1976, while crossing South Professor St. and Elm St. in Oberlin. At the time, the Robinson's were survived by two children, Arthur of Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, and Hester of Honolulu, Hawaii, as well as two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Jenny was also survived by a sister in London.
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