C. A. Robins

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title: "C. A. Robins" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1884-births", "1970-deaths", "republican-party-governors-of-idaho", "republican-party-idaho-state-senators", "people-from-lewiston,-idaho", "people-from-shelby-county,-iowa", "united-states-army-personnel-of-world-war-i", "united-states-army-medical-corps-officers", "rush-medical-college-alumni", "william-jewell-college-alumni", "people-from-la-junta,-colorado", "people-from-st.-maries,-idaho", "physicians-from-idaho", "physicians-from-colorado", "20th-century-american-episcopalians", "military-personnel-from-iowa", "military-personnel-from-colorado", "20th-century-members-of-the-idaho-legislature"] description: "American politician (1884–1970)" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._A._Robins" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American politician (1884–1970) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

Field	Value
name	C. A. Robins
image	C. A. Robins (Idaho Governor).jpg
image_size	230px
caption	From 1950's Gem of the Mountains,
the yearbook of the University of Idaho
order	22nd
office	Governor of Idaho
term_start	January 6, 1947
term_end	January 1, 1951
lieutenant	Donald S. Whitehead
predecessor	Arnold Williams
successor	Len Jordan
office1	Idaho Senate President pro tempore
term_start1	January 1943
term_end1	January 1945
preceded1	Perry Mitchell
succeeded1	J.E. Williams
state_senate2	Idaho
district2	Benewah County
term_start2	January 1939
term_end2	January 1947
birth_name	Charles Armington Robins
birth_date
birth_place	Defiance, Iowa
death_date
death_place	Lewiston, Idaho
resting_place	Lewis Clark Memorial Gardens, Lewiston
spouse	Marguerite S. Granberry (m.1919–1938, her death)
Olive Patricia Simpson
(m.1939–1970, his death)
children	3 daughters (w/ Simpson)
profession	Physician
residence
party	Republican
alma_mater
allegiance
branch	[[File:US Department of the Army Seal.png
rank	[[File:US-O2 insignia.svg
serviceyears	1918
unit	[[File:US Army Medical Corps Branch Plaque.gif
battles	World War I
::

|name = C. A. Robins |image = C. A. Robins (Idaho Governor).jpg |image_size = 230px |caption = From 1950's Gem of the Mountains, the yearbook of the University of Idaho |order = 22nd |office = Governor of Idaho |term_start = January 6, 1947 |term_end = January 1, 1951 |lieutenant = Donald S. Whitehead |predecessor = Arnold Williams |successor = Len Jordan |office1 = Idaho Senate President pro tempore |term_start1 = January 1943 |term_end1 = January 1945 |preceded1 = Perry Mitchell |succeeded1 = J.E. Williams |state_senate2 = Idaho |district2 = Benewah County |term_start2 = January 1939 |term_end2 = January 1947 |predecessor2 = |successor2 = |birth_name = Charles Armington Robins |birth_date = |birth_place = Defiance, Iowa |death_date = |death_place = Lewiston, Idaho |resting_place = Lewis Clark Memorial Gardens, Lewiston |spouse = Marguerite S. Granberry (m.1919–1938, her death) Olive Patricia Simpson (m.1939–1970, his death) |children = 3 daughters (w/ Simpson) |profession = Physician |residence = |party = Republican |alma_mater = |allegiance = |branch = [[File:US Department of the Army Seal.png|15px]] U.S. Army |rank = [[File:US-O2 insignia.svg|5px]] First lieutenant |serviceyears = 1918 | unit = [[File:US Army Medical Corps Branch Plaque.gif|15px]] Medical Corps | battles = World War I |footnotes= Charles Armington Robins (December 8, 1884 – September 20, 1970) was an American physician and the 22nd governor of Idaho.

Early years

Born in Iowa at Defiance in Shelby County, at age four Robins moved west with his family to Colorado, settling at La Junta in Otero County. He graduated in 1907 from William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, then taught high school in Missouri, Colorado, Montana, and Mississippi. He entered medical school in 1913 at Rush Medical College of the University of Chicago, working various night jobs to put himself through, and earned his MD in 1917.

Career

During World War I, Robins entered the Medical Corps of the U.S. Army in August 1918 as a first lieutenant. and ended his military service on December 16, 1918. For a generation, Robins delivered nearly every baby in Benewah County.

Robins was a member of the state senate for four terms, from 1939 to 1947. He ran for governor in 1946, and was the first in Idaho to be elected to a four-year term; all previous governors had been elected to two-year terms. He handily defeated the incumbent, Arnold Williams, who had gained the office when his predecessor, Charles Gossett, resigned to be immediately appointed by Williams to a vacant seat in the U.S. Senate.

::data[format=table title="[[Idaho gubernatorial elections|Idaho Gubernatorial Elections]]"] | |Year | |Democrat | |Votes | |Pct | |Republican | |Votes | |Pct | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1946 | |Arnold Williams (inc.) | |79,131 | |43.6% | |C. A. Robins | |102,233 | |56.4% | ::

:*Williams was elected as lieutenant governor in 1944, and became governor in late 1945.

The new four-year term disallowed self-succession (re-election) until 1958, so Robins and his Republican successor in 1950, Len Jordan, served single four-year terms and retired from office. The state constitution was later amended, after receiving voter approval in the 1956 general election.

Robins was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1948 while in office as governor. Not allowed to compete for a second term in 1950, he ran for the U.S. Senate, but was defeated in the August primary by Herman Welker.

After leaving the governor's office in 1951 at age 66, Robins moved his residence from St. Maries to Lewiston and became the medical director of the north Idaho district of the Medical Service Bureau, later known as Regence Blue Shield.

Personal

Robins married Marguerite Sherman Granberry (1892–1938) on July 8, 1919, in Hazlehurst, Mississippi; she died at age 46 in May 1938 and they had no children. He married Patricia Simpson (1914–1993) of St. Maries, one of his nurses, in November 1939 and they had three daughters: Patricia, Paula, and Rebecca.

He was a member of the American Legion, the American Medical Association, Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, Nu Sigma Nu professional fraternity, and Freemasons.

Death

Robins died at age 85 in Lewiston on September 20, 1970, and is interred at Lewis Clark Memorial Gardens in Lewiston.

References

References

1. "C. A. Robins". Ancestry.Com.
2. Alford, A.L. Jr.. (September 23, 1998). "Former governor made his mark on Idaho education". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
3. (September 21, 1970). "C.A. Robins dies in Idaho". Deseret News.
4. Carlson, Chris. (October 16, 2011). "Idaho's post-war pilot". Lewiston Tribune.
5. (October 24, 1946). "C.A. Robins for Governor". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
6. "C. A. Robins". Idaho Genealogy Trails.
7. (November 6, 1946). "GOP nears House control in landslide". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
8. (November 7, 1946). "Idaho GOP landslide like Democrat in '32". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
9. (June 12, 1946). "Winners in primary election". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
10. (June 13, 1946). "Unofficial results on primary election". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
11. Corlett, John. (March 31, 1963). "It's mystery why law barring self-succession not repealed". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
12. (November 7, 1956). "Idaho voters adopt three amendments". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
13. (August 9, 1950). "Jordan and Wright lead for governor". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
14. (August 10, 1950). "Clark holds Senate lead". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
15. (September 21, 1970). "Ex-Idaho governor dead". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
16. (September 21, 1970). "Former Gov. C.A. Robins dies of infirmities at age 85". Lewiston Morning Tribune.

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