William C. Robinson Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1236-1239 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit 
	organizations for their private use. 

	Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval 
	system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other 
	means requires the written approval of the file's author.

	This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside
	a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at

	http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm


				WILLIAM C. ROBINSON. 

	William C. Robinson is cashier of the State Bank of Crandon, 
which office he has filled since 1910. Iowa numbers him as a native 
son, his birth having occurred at Runnells, that state, on the 1st of 
November, 1883, his parents being William F. and Mary (Dovey) Robinson, 
who still live at Runnells. The father is a prominent resident there 
and a very wealthy man who has been actively connected with business 
affairs and with public interests of that locality. 

	William C. Robinson attended country schools near Runnells to the 
age of thirteen years and then went to Boone, Iowa, where he worked for 
his board and room and at the same time attended the graded schools of 
that city until he reached the age of eighteen years. The determination 
and force of character which he displayed in acquiring his education 
have been salient features in all of his later life and have led to his 
present success. When his textbooks were put aside he remained for a 
time at Boone, but he took up the study of telegraphy in the Des Moines 
(Ia.) West high school, receiving the first diploma ever issued from 
that school to a graduate in telegraphy. He received his instruction 
from Professor J. W. gelding. He next went to Blairsburg, Iowa, where 
he obtained a position as assistant telegrapher, receiving fifteen 
dollars per month. That sum was expended for his board and he slept in 
the telegraph office for six months. On the expiration of that period 
he made his way to South Dakota, going first to Huron, where he arrived 
August 25, 1902, but immediately afterward he was sent to Crandon, 
where he acted as station agent and operator for six years. He then 
turned his attention to the real-estate and lumber business, in which 
he continued for two years, and at the end of that time, or in 1910, 
became cashier of the State Bank of Crandon, which was organized about 
a year before, and in that connection he has since remained. He bent 
his energies to the development of the business of the bank on assuming 
charge and its depositors have now more than doubled in number and in 
spite of poor crops the amount of deposits has greatly increased. 

	Mr. Robinson is a democrat in politics and has served as justice 
of the peace in Crandon, his decisions being strictly fair and 
impartial and winning for him "golden opinions from all sorts of 
people." He was married May 8,1904, at Crandon to Miss Meda Carico, a 
daughter of Henry W. and Lucinda (Bedsaul) Carico, now residents of 
Crandon, who removed from Virginia to Spink county, South Dakota, about 
1887. Mr. Robinson may truly be called a self-made man, for he started 
out in life independently when but thirteen years of age and the marked 
strength of character which he displayed in acquiring his education 
foreshadowed his later advancement and success. He today occupies a 
creditable place in the financial circles of his district and what he 
has accomplished represents the fit utilization of his time, talents 
and energies.