Art Robinson
Arthur Brouhard Robinson is an American biochemist, conservative activist, and politician. He was the five-time Republican nominee for the United States House of Representatives for Oregon's 4th congressional district.
A former faculty member of the University of California, San Diego, Robinson now runs a privately funded laboratory known as the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine in Cave Junction, Oregon, a newsletter called Access to Energy, and publishes the Robinson Self-Teaching Home School Curriculum.
As the Republican nominee for the Fourth District in Oregon, Robinson ran and lost to Democratic incumbent Peter DeFazio in five consecutive elections: 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018. He served as Chairman of the Oregon Republican Party from August 2013 to February 2015.
Early life and education
Arthur Robinson was born in Chicago. He received a B.S. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology in 1963, and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California, San Diego in 1968. His doctoral thesis was titled, Experiments on the synthesis and spectral characterization of cytochrome-related molecules.Scientific career
Early career
Robinson was one of the few students ever to be appointed to the faculty of the University of California, San Diego immediately after getting his Ph.D., but resigned four years later.He was a co-founder, along with Linus Pauling and Keene Dimick, of the Institute of Orthomolecular Medicine, later renamed the Linus Pauling Institute in 1973.
Linus Pauling Institute
Robinson was the president, director, and a research professor with tenure at the institute.In June 1978, Robinson was asked to consult with the Executive Committee of the Linus Pauling Institute regarding important decisions involving the Institute. The members of the Executive Committee included Robinson, Pauling, and Executive Vice President Richard Hicks. The same day Robinson was asked to consult, he dismissed Hicks by terminating the fund raising services agreement employing Hicks, claiming that Hicks had failed to generate the substantial donations expected of him.
Disturbed by Robinson's swift actions against Hicks, Pauling declared that he no longer had "trust and confidence in Robinson", and asked him to resign immediately. Robinson requested thirty days to consider the resignation and ultimately refused. Pauling called a meeting of the Board of Trustees regarding Robinson's refusal to resign. The board granted Robinson a leave of absence, and passed all executive authority to Pauling, later electing him president and director of the institute.
Lawsuit
Robinson responded to the dismissal by charging that he, not Pauling, had done the experimental work at the institute, and that "Linus has not personally contributed significant research work on vitamin C and human health". Robinson filed a lawsuit against the Institute for $25.5 million, finally settling for $575,000.Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine
Robinson later moved to Oregon and founded the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine there in 1980.Robinson is the president of the OISM, which is a 501 non-profit organization located in Cave Junction, Oregon. The OISM's mission statement and purpose is, "research, development, and public education on the biochemistry of molecular clocks and the degenerative diseases of aging, elementary science education, the effects of environment on health and welfare, and disaster preparedness". The institute faculty has included Salk Institute biochemist Fred Westall, the late Nobel prize-winning biochemist Robert Bruce Merrifield, and the late Manhattan project physicist Martin Kamen.
Robinson circulated what has been designated "Oregon Petition" urging the United States government to reject the global warming Kyoto Protocol of 1997 and similar policies,
stating that "the proposed limits on greenhouse gases would harm the environment," the advance of science, and human "health and welfare". The OISM website states that "several members of the Institute's staff are also well known for their work on the Petition Project", and that the petition has "more than 31,000" signatures by scientists. Robinson asserted in 2008 that the petition has over 31,000 signatories, with 9,000 of these holding a PhD degree. Most signatories with a PhD hold their degree in engineering. The 2009 report of the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change —a group that "disputes the reality of man-made climate change"—lists 31,478 degreed signatories, including 9,029 with PhDs. The list has been criticized for its lack of verification, with pranksters successfully submitting the names of Charles Darwin, a member of the Spice Girls and characters from Star Wars, and getting them briefly included on the list.
According to Bloomberg.com, starting in about 2013 Robinson began collecting "thousands of vials of human urine" which he claims hold "the key to extending the human life span and wresting control of medicine from what he calls the 'medical-industrial-government complex'." As of early 2016, there were 14,000 urine samples stored in freezers at the OISM lab. According to Zachary Mider of Bloomberg, it is "hard to judge the credibility" of Robinson's claims. Although Robinson earned a Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego in the 1960s, "he hasn't published peer-reviewed research on diagnostic medicine in decades." In reply Robinson stated, "we've completed experiments here, which we could easily publish, but we want to wait until they are perfect."
In his monthly newsletter "Access to Energy", Robinson has reported on experiments showing that ionizing radiation can be good for you, advocates for a revival of cheap nuclear power, attacks climate science as a "false religion" that will enslave mankind, and condemns public education, instead favoring home schooling.
The institute also publishes material relating to civil defense and disaster preparedness.
Political career
2010 Congressional election
In May 2010, Robinson won the Republican primary for Oregon's 4th congressional district, taking 79% of the vote to businesswoman Jaynee Germond's 20%. He faced Democratic incumbent Peter DeFazio in the November 2010 general election.Six weeks before the election, $600,000 worth of TV advertisements started to appear in the district, portraying his opponent as "a puppet of the Democratic leadership". It was later revealed that the advertisements, reportedly a surprise to Robinson, were paid for by conservative billionaire hedge fund manager Robert Mercer.
Robinson was defeated by 145,091 votes to 120,307 but it was the "best performance" by a Republican in the district "in decades". Robinson vowed to try again in 2012.
2012 Congressional election
Robinson, running unopposed, became the Republican nominee for Oregon's 4th congressional district, to again face incumbent DeFazio, who had defeated Robinson's son Matthew in a landslide in the Democratic primary. In the general election, DeFazio defeated Robinson by 212,866 votes to 140,549.2014 Congressional election
Robinson ran for a third time for Oregon's 4th congressional district in 2014. He was unopposed in the Republican primary and faced another rematch with DeFazio in the general election, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Robinson lost the election with 116,534 votes to DeFazio's 181,624.2016 Congressional election
Robinson ran for a fourth time for Oregon's 4th congressional district in 2016. He ran against Jo Rae Perkins, a former Linn county Republican party chairwoman, in the primary election and won with 67 percent of the vote. In the general election on November 8. Robinson once again faced DeFazio, who won his primary election with 93 percent of the vote. DeFazio prevailed once more, 55%-40%.2018 Congressional election
Robinson challenged DeFazio for a fifth time in Oregon's 4th congressional district. He faced four primary challengers this time, Perkins, again, plus former Eugene mayoral candidate Stefan Strek, Curry county commissioner Court Boice, and Michael Polen. Robinson won the nomination with 45.7% of the vote.DeFazio defeated Robinson 56%-41%.