James R. "Jim" Roebuck Jr. (born February 12, 1945) is a Democratic

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

who represented the 188th Legislative District (

West Philadelphia West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of the city of Philadelphia. Alhough there are no officially defined boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Avenue to the nort ...

) in the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

. He was first elected in a special election on May 21, 1985. In 2020, he was defeated in the primary by Rick Krajewski.

Education

Roebuck is a 1963 graduate of Central High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in 1966 from

Virginia Union University Virginia Union University is a private historically black Baptist university in Richmond, Virginia. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. History The American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS) founded the school as Richm ...

. He earned a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

in 1977 from

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

. In 1969, Roebuck became the first African American Student Council president at UVA From 1970 until 1977, he was a lecturer at Drexel University, and then was an assistant professor until 1984. In 1984 and 1985, he was legislative assistant in the Office for the Mayor of Philadelphia. Roebuck was a member of the

Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus The Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus is an American political organization composed of African Americans elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsy ...

References

External links

Pennsylvania House of Representatives - James R. Roebuck Jr.
official PA House website
Project Vote Smart - Representative James R. Roebuck Jr. (PA)
profile *''Follow the Money'' - James R. Roebuck Jr.
20062004200220001998
campaign contributions
Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus - Rep. James R. Roebuck Jr.
official Party website {{DEFAULTSORT:Roebuck, James R. Jr. Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives 1945 births Living people Politicians from Philadelphia University of Virginia alumni Virginia Union University alumni African-American state legislators in Pennsylvania Educators from Pennsylvania 21st-century American politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American people Drexel University faculty