James Harvey Robinson (June 29, 1863–February 16, 1936) was an American historian.

Robinson was born Bloomington, Illinois. He taught history at the University of Pennsylvania (1891–95) and Columbia University (1895–1919), becoming a full professor in 1895.

In 1919, he was one of the founders of the New School for Social Research, of which he was the first director. Through his writings and lectures, in which he stressed the "new history" — the social, scientific, and intellectual progress of humanity rather than merely political happenings — he exerted an important influence on the study and teaching of history. An editor (1892–95) of the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, he was also an associate editor (1912–20) of the American Historical Review and president (1929) of the American Historical Association.

Works

• "An Introduction to the History of Western Europe" 1902
• Outlines of European History (with J. H. Breasted and C. A. Beard) 1914
• The Mind in the Making:The Relation of Intelligence to Social Reform 1921
• The First Modern Scholar and Man of Letters New York, G.P. Putman 1898