James Henry Gorbey (July 30, 1920 – October 24, 1977) was an American politician and judge from
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. He was a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
member of the
Chester City Council
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Local ...
from 1956 to 1963 and served as mayor of
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
, Pennsylvania from 1964 to 1967 during the
Chester school protests. Gorbey was a judge of the
Delaware County Court of Common Pleas from 1968 to 1970 and a
United States district judge
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...
of the
from 1970 to 1977.
Early life and education
Gorbey was born in
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
and served as a lieutenant in the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
from 1942 to 1945.
He received a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degree from
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...
in 1945 and a
Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
from
Temple University Beasley School of Law
The Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law is the law school of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1895 and enrolls about 530 students.
Student body
Admission for fall 2019 entering class was highly compe ...
in 1949.
Career
Gorbey was in private practice in Chester from 1949 to 1967. He also served as an investigator and appraiser for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax Department in 1950. He was an editor of the ''Delaware County Legal Journal'' from 1951 to 1952. Gorbey served as a member of the
Chester City Council
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Local ...
from 1956 to 1963, and as mayor of Chester from 1964 to 1967. As Gorbey assumed the position of mayor, the
Chester school protests were roiling the city with major racial strife and civil rights protests led by
George Raymond of the Chester branch of the
NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...
and
Stanley Branche
Stanley Everett Branche (July 31, 1933 – December 22, 1992) was an American civil rights leader from Pennsylvania who worked as executive secretary in the Chester, Pennsylvania branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peo ...
of the
Committee for Freedom Now
The Committee for Freedom Now (CFFN) was an American Civil and political rights, civil rights organization in Chester, Pennsylvania, that worked to end de facto segregation and improve the conditions at predominantly black schools in Chester. CF ...
(CFFN). During his inauguration speech, Gorbey stated, "''Chester has no Negro problem... and demonstrations will no longer be tolerated.''"
In the spring of 1964, a series of almost nightly protests brought chaos to Chester and resulted in mass arrests of protesters. As mayor, Gorbey issued "The Police Position to Preserve the Public Peace", a ten-point statement promising an immediate return to law and order. The city deputized firemen and trash collectors to help handle demonstrators. The State of Pennsylvania deployed 50 state troopers to assist the 77-member Chester police force.
The demonstrations were marked by violence and
police brutality
Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...
.
Over six hundred people were arrested over a two-month period of civil rights rallies, marches, pickets, boycotts and sit-ins.
Gorbey was a judge of the
Delaware County Court of Common Pleas from 1968 to 1970.
Gorbey was nominated by President
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
on November 30, 1970, to the
, to a new seat created by 84 Stat. 294. He was confirmed by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
on December 19, 1970, and received his commission on December 21, 1970. His service was terminated on October 24, 1977, due to his death.
Gorbey is interred at the Calvary Cemetery in
West Conshohocken
West Conshohocken is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,320 at the 2010 census.
Its sister community is Conshohocken, located across the Schuylkill River. Montgomery County's seat, Norristown, is lo ...
, Pennsylvania.
See also
*
List of mayors of Chester, Pennsylvania
The Mayor of Chester is the chief executive of the government of the city of Chester, Pennsylvania as stipulated by the city charter. This article is a listing of past (and present) mayors of Chester.
On March 5, 1795, the borough of Chester, whi ...
Notes
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorbey, James Henry
1920 births
1977 deaths
20th-century American judges
20th-century American lawyers
United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II
Bowling Green State University alumni
Burials in Pennsylvania
Judges of the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas
Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Mayors of Chester, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania city council members
Pennsylvania Republicans
Temple University alumni
United States district court judges appointed by Richard Nixon
United States Marine Corps officers