Robinson fought during the
War of 1812, where he commanded a rifle company at the capture of
Detroit. In 1813, he distinguished himself in the defence of
Fort Michilimackinac. After the war, he operated as a
fur trader and established a number of businesses in the
Lake Simcoe area. By 1817 he had been elected to represent the riding of (East)
York &
Simcoe in the
Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada (
7th Parliament of Upper Canada and
8th Parliament of Upper Canada). Starting in 1823 through to 1825 he administered the passage and settlement of over 2500 poor Catholic families mostly from
County Cork, Ireland to settle in the hinterlands of
Lanark County,
Carleton County (today
Ottawa) and Scott's Plains. Scott's Plains was renamed
Peterborough in his honour. In 1827 he was appointed Commissioner of Crown Lands and he had a seat representing York in both the
Legislative and
Executive councils. In 1836 he resigned, with the rest of the Executive Council, from his responsibilities on the Council to protest the council's treatment by Lieutenant Governor Sir
Francis Bond Head. He died in
Toronto in 1838 and was survived by Isabella (1818-1873) and Frederick (1830-?), two of his three children. ==List of ships used for the settlement scheme==