James Paul Scoblick (May 10, 1909 – December 4, 1981) 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

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

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, ...

. James P. Scoblick was born in

Archbald, Pennsylvania Archbald is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania and is named for James Archbald, the first mayor of Carbondale, Pennsylvania. Before being renamed in Archbald's honor, the name of the settlement ...

; both of his parents were

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

immigrants. He graduated from Fordham University in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in 1930 and took postgraduate work at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in New York City. He served as a member of the Department of Public Assistance Board of

Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania Lackawanna County (; unm, Lèkaohane) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania and had a population of 215,896 as of the 2020 census. Its county seat and largest city is Scranton. The county ...

. Scoblick was elected as a Republican to the

79th United States Congress The 79th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1945, ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John W. Murphy and at the same time was elected to the

80th United States Congress The 80th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1947, ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1948. He resumed former business pursuits and engaged as consultant to food industry. In January 1953, Scoblick and two of his brothers were indicted in a

check kiting Check kiting or cheque kiting (see spelling differences) is a form of check fraud, involving taking advantage of the float to make use of non-existent funds in a checking or other bank account. In this way, instead of being used as a negotiabl ...

scheme involving their fruit-processing business, Scoblick Bros. Inc. With the testimony of a bank cashier who turned state's evidence, all three were convicted on December 3, 1954, and Judge Albert L. Watson sentenced James Scoblick to five years in prison. Scoblick was a resident of Archbald, until his death there on December 4, 1981, and was interred in Mother of Sorrows Cemetery in Finch Hill, Pennsylvania.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Scoblick, James P. 1909 births 1981 deaths American people convicted of fraud American people of Italian descent Columbia University alumni Fordham University alumni Politicians from Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 20th-century American legislators