Robert E. Minahan (January 27, 1858April 27, 1935) was an American physician, surgeon, and lawyer. He was the 30th Mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Early life and career Minahan was born in Howard, New York, in 1858. He was still a child when he moved with his family to Calumet County, Wisconsin, in 1860, settling near New Holstein. He and his brother, John, decided as children that they wanted to become doctors. They collaborated through their youth to achieve that goal. Minahan received a public school education, and then entered the State Normal School at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where he graduated in 1880. He went to work as a teacher for two years at Cedarburg, Wisconsin, where he saved money to continue his education. In 1882, he moved to Chicago with his wife and brother to study at Rush Medical College. While Robert studied, John worked as a street car operator to pay for expenses. After earning his M.D. in 1886, Robert went to work at Calumet Harbor, Wisconsin, and paid for his brother, John, to enter medical school. After six years practicing medicine, in 1892, went back to school at the University of Michigan Law School and received his law degree. Returning to Wisconsin, he practiced both medicine and law at Kewaunee, Wisconsin, from 1895 to 1898. In 1898, he moved to Green Bay, where he formed a partnership with his brother, John, who was also now a medical doctor. They specialized in surgery and had their own facilities at Green Bay's St. Vincent Hospital. The Minahan brothers were renowned for their work advancing surgical techniques in the early 20th century, and were specifically mentioned by Dr. William James Mayo in a 1926 address to the national medical society. Mayoral terms In 1904, Minahan was elected to a two-year term as Mayor of Green Bay by what, at the time, was said to be the largest margin ever given in a Green Bay mayoral race. His administration was notable for its treatment of illegal gambling in the city. Over the past several administrations, gambling equipment had often been confiscated by authorities, but was later returned after a fee had been paid. Under Mayor Minahan, however, a coordinated roundup was conducted in April 1905 to confiscate all the gambling devices and bring them to city hall. There, in a public display, Minahan personally smashed all the machines with an axe, then