James Henry Gorbey (July 30, 1920 – October 24, 1977) was an American politician and judge from Pennsylvania. He was a Republican member of the Chester City Council 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 The Chester school protests were a series of demonstrations that occurred from November 1963 through April 1964 in Chester, Pennsylvania. The demonstrations focused on ending the de facto segregation that resulted in the racial categorization of ...

. Gorbey was a judge of the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas from 1968 to 1970 and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania from 1970 to 1977.

Early life and education

Gorbey was born in

, Pennsylvania and served as a lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps during World War II from 1942 to 1945. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bowling Green State University in 1945 and a Bachelor of Laws from Temple University Beasley School of Law 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 from 1956 to 1963, and as mayor of Chester from 1964 to 1967. As Gorbey assumed the position of mayor, the

were roiling the city with major racial strife and civil rights protests led by

George Raymond George T. Raymond (May 10, 1914 – May 9, 1999) was an American civil rights leader from Pennsylvania who served as president of the Chester, Pennsylvania branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from 1942 ...

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 on November 30, 1970, to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, to a new seat created by 84 Stat. 294. He was confirmed by the United States Senate 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, Pennsylvania.

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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

Early life and education

Career

See also

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