He was the eldest son, and fifth of nine children, born to British immigrant John James Robinson (1799–1876) and Rebecca Prever (1817– 1882), a descendant of Hawaiian chiefess Kamakana.

He partnered with Benjamin Franklin Dillingham, S. C. Allen, James Bicknell Castle, Robert Lewers and John H. Paty in 1889 to establish the Oahu Railway and Land Company.

[5] Although a supporter of the monarchy, Robinson took exception with the Walter M. Gibson cabinet expenditures and schemes during the reign of King Kalākaua.

He became a member of the Committee of Safety that drafted the Bayonet Constitution of 1887 which codified the legislature as the supreme authority over any actions by the monarchy.

[6] During the reign of Queen Liliʻuokalani, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from November 8, 1892 to January 12, 1893 under the George Norton Wilcox cabinet which had political inclination toward the Reform Party.

Robinson joined with other business men to finance a repayment of the loan, to prevent Spreckels from having leverage in any counter revolution to restore the monarchy.