George M. Robeson
| George Maxwell Robeson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 26th United States Secretary of the Navy | |
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In office June 25, 1869 – March 12, 1877 |
|
| President |
Ulysses S. Grant Rutherford B. Hayes |
| Preceded by | Adolph E. Borie |
| Succeeded by | Richard W. Thompson |
| New Jersey Attorney General | |
|
In office 1867–1869 |
|
| Preceded by | Frederick T. Frelinghuysen |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 1st congressional district |
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In office March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1883 |
|
| Preceded by | Clement Hall Sinnickson |
| Succeeded by | Thomas M. Ferrell |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 16, 1829 Oxford Furnace, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | September 27, 1897 (aged 68) Trenton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | Princeton University |
| Profession | Politician, lawyer |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | New Jersey Militia |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
George Maxwell Robeson (March 16, 1829 – September 27, 1897) was an American Republican Party politician, lawyer from New Jersey, Union army general during the American Civil War, Secretary of the Navy appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant serving from 1869 to 1877, and U.S. Representative for New Jersey serving from 1879 to 1883.
Robeson's tenure as Secretary of Navy, lasting about seven and a half years, was second in length only to that of Gideon Welles during the 19th century.
Robeson was known to be a hot-tempered, industrious administrator and through his departmental leadership was able to contain the established Naval officer hierarchy. Having limited Congressional funding, he supported and developed the early stages of submarine and torpedo technology in keeping U.S. harbors safe from foreign attack and secured $50,000 in Congressional funding for the 1871 Polaris expedition led by Capt. C. F. Hall. Robeson headed the investigation concerning the controversial death of Capt. Hall after the return of the shipwrecked Polaris crew in 1873. Robeson supported President Grant and the Radical Republican Reconstruction laws that supported the citizenship and voting rights of African American freedmen. Under Robeson, the U.S. Navy constructed the United States' first two propelled torpedo warships. In 1874, Robeson responded to the naval threat imposed by Spain during the Virginius Affair; having implemented U.S. Naval resurgence, however, Congress refused to pay for the completion of the five new ships.
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