James A. Roberts
American politician (1847–1922)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Arthur Roberts (March 8, 1847 – November 19, 1922) was an American lawyer and politician. He was a member of the New York State Assembly and was also the New York State Comptroller.
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Frank S. Black
James Arthur Roberts | |
|---|---|
| |
| Comptroller of New York | |
| In office 1894–1898 | |
| Governor | Levi P. Morton Frank S. Black |
| Preceded by | Frank Campbell |
| Succeeded by | William J. Morgan |
| New York State Assembly | |
| In office 1879–1880 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 8, 1847 |
| Died | November 19, 1922 (aged 75) |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Cemetery |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Minerva (Pineo) Roberts (1871-1883, her death) Martha Dresser Roberts (1884-1922, his death) |
| Bowdoin College | |
| Signature | .png){kind=small} |
Early life
Roberts was born in Waterboro, Maine on March 8, 1847.[1][2][3] He was the son of Jeremiah Roberts and Alma Roberts.[1] He attended common schools and the Edward Little Institute in Auburn, Maine.[1]
In 1864 when he was seventeen years old, Roberts enlisted as a private in the 7th Maine Battery.[1][3] He fought at the Siege of Petersburg, and later participated in the campaign ending with the surrender of General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Court House.[1][3]
Roberts attended Bowdoin College, graduating with an A. B. in 1870.[1] While there, he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon.[2] He then taught in the Buffalo, New York public schools while studying law with Edgar B. Perkins and George S. Wardwell.[1][4] He was admitted to the bar in 1875.[1]
Career
From 1875 until 1894, Roberts practiced law in Buffalo.[5] In 1899, he was head of the firm Roberts, Becker, Messer & Orcutt.[4]
He was a founder of Depew, a suburb of Buffalo, and was also the secretary of the Depew Improvement Company.[1][3] He was the vice president of the Bellevue and Lancaster Railway Company and the Bellevue Loan, Trust & Safe Deposit Company.[1][3] He was a director and secretary of the Buffalo General Electric Company and director of the Hydraulic Bank of Buffalo.[4] He was also secretary of the Bellevue Land Company.[3]
Roberts became an assemblyman for Erie County in 1878.[3] He was elected the New York State Assembly in 1879 (Erie Co., 3rd D.) and 1880 (Erie Co., 4th D.).[2] He did not run for a third term.[1] Robert was the Buffalo Parks Commissioner from 1891 to1893.[1]
In 1894, Roberts left Buffalo to serve as New York State Comptroller, serving two terms from 1894 to 1898.[2][5] He was eected to the position 1893 and 1895, on the Republican ticket.[3][1] He was an alternate delegate to the 1900 Republican National Convention.[2]
Personal life
On June 1, 1871, he married Minnie Pineo of Calais, Maine.[4] They had two children: son Joseph Roberts and daughter Amelia, who married Frank St. John Sidway.[5] Minnie died in 1883.[4] Roberts married Martha Dresser in 1884.[4] She was the daughter of Judge Dresser of Auburn, Maine.[4]
Roberts belonged to the Acacia Club, the Buffalo Club, the Knight of Pythias, and the Freemasons.[4] He was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Society of Colonial Wars, and the Sons of the American Revolution.[2]
Roberts lived in New York City from 1902 until his death there on November 19, 1922.[2][5] He was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo.[2][5]