Summary
Robert Jackson Gamble (February 7, 1851 – September 22, 1924) was a U.S. Representative and Senator from South Dakota. He was the father of Ralph Abernethy Gamble and brother of John Rankin Gamble, members of South Dakota's prominent Gamble family.
Robert J. Gamble | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator from South Dakota | |
| In office March 4, 1901 – March 3, 1913 | |
| Preceded by | Richard F. Pettigrew |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Sterling |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Dakota's at-large district | |
| In office March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1901 | |
| Preceded by | Freeman T. Knowles |
| Succeeded by | Eben W. Martin |
| In office March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897 | |
| Preceded by | William V. Lucas |
| Succeeded by | Freeman T. Knowles |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Jackson Gamble February 7, 1851 Genesee County, New York, U.S. |
| Died | September 22, 1924 (aged 73) Sioux Falls, South Dakota, U.S. |
| Resting place | Yankton City Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
Early life edit
Gamble was born in Genesee County, near Akron, New York, the son of Robert Gamble and Jennie (Abernethy) Gamble.[1] In 1862, he moved with his parents to Fox Lake, Wisconsin.[1] In 1874, he graduated from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Science degree, and he later received his Master of Science from Lawrence.[1][2] While attending college, Gamble taught school in the summer to pay his tuition.[2] After graduating, he studied law with the Milwaukee firm of Jenkins, Elliot & Wheeler, and was admitted to the bar in 1875.[2] He moved to Yankton in the portion of the Dakota Territory which later became South Dakota.[2]
Start of career edit
A Republican, he became a district attorney for the second judicial district of the Territory of Dakota in 1880, and was Yankton's city attorney in 1881 and 1882.[2] He served on the Territorial Council in 1885.[2] In 1894 he was elected to Seat B, one of South Dakota's two at-large seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, and he served in the Fifty-fourth Congress.[2] He ran unsuccessfully for reelection in 1896, but was again elected to Seat B in 1898, and served in the Fifty-sixth Congress.[2] During the Fifty-sixth Congress, he became the chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Expenditures on the Public Buildings.[3]
U.S. Senator edit
In 1901, Gamble was elected to the United States Senate.[2] Re-elected in 1906, he served until March 1913, after being an unsuccessful candidate for renomination.[2] During his senate career, he was chairman of the: Committee on Indian Depredations (57th Congress); Committee on Transportation Routes to the Seaboard (58th to 60th Congresses); Committee on Indian Affairs (62nd Congress); and Committee on Enrolled Bills (64th Congress).[3]
Later life edit
In 1915, Gamble moved to Sioux Falls and resumed the practice of law.[3] From 1916 to 1924 he served as a referee in bankruptcy for the southern district of South Dakota. He was a member of the National Executive Committee of the League to Enforce Peace.[3]
Death and burial edit
Gamble died in Sioux Falls, and was buried at Yankton City Cemetery in Yankton.[3]
Honors edit
In 1909, Lawrence University awarded Gamble the honorary degree of LL.D.[1]
Family edit
In 1884, Gamble married Carrie S. Osborne of Portage, Wisconsin.[1] They were the parents of two sons, Ralph and George.[1]
References edit
Sources edit
Books edit
- Coursey, Oscar William (1913). Who's Who in South Dakota. Vol. I. Mitchell, SD: Educator School Supply Co.
- Lawrence College (1918). Lawrence College Alumni Record, 1857-1915. Appleton, WI: Post Publishing Company.
- United States Congress (2005). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-2005. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. ISBN 978-0-16-073176-1.
External links edit
- United States Congress. "Robert J. Gamble (id: G000032)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Robert J. Gamble at Find a Grave
- Gamble Family at The Political Graveyard