Robinson, Harry Johnson Jr.

Description

Harry Johnson Robinson Jr. was born on July 14, 1889, in Mount Vernon, New York, the son of Harry Johnston Robinson and Isabella Ware. He later established a connection to Rye, New York, where by 1915 he was residing on Rye Beach Avenue and working as a builder, reflecting early involvement in the construction trades.

By the time of the First World War, he was married with a young child and was self-employed in Rye, indicating a level of independence and responsibility typical of skilled tradesmen of the period.

World War I Service

Robinson entered military service on October 31, 1917, when he was called into active duty as a Second Lieutenant in the Officers’ Reserve Corps of the United States Army. His prior service in the New York National Guard, where he had attained the rank of Corporal, provided a foundation for his commission.

He was assigned to the United States Army Air Service, serving with the 4th Aero Construction Company. Aero Construction units were responsible for building and maintaining airfields, hangars, and related infrastructure essential to the rapidly expanding aviation operations of the American Expeditionary Forces.

His service included training and assignments at Garden City, Long Island; Camp Sevier, South Carolina; and Camp Mills, New York, before deployment overseas.

Robinson served in France from March 16, 1918, to December 11, 1918, during the critical final phases of the war. Although his role was in construction and support rather than direct combat, his work contributed to the establishment and maintenance of air operations that were increasingly important to Allied success.

He sustained no wounds or injuries in action and was honorably discharged on December 23, 1918.

Life After Service

Following his military service, Robinson pursued a professional career as an architect, building on his earlier experience in construction. He lived in several Westchester County communities, including Mount Vernon, Bronxville, and Mamaroneck, reflecting a career tied to the region’s suburban development.

He married Lida Meacham Hardy, with whom he had children, and later married Adele Olivia Cardwell. His life spanned significant periods of growth and change in the New York metropolitan area.

Harry J. Robinson Jr. died on November 19, 1969, in Swannanoa, North Carolina, at the age of 80.

He was buried in Buncombe County, North Carolina. Surviving family members include his children from his marriages, though full details are not clearly identified in available records.