James N. Robey Jr. (born January 18, 1941), an American Democratic politician, was a

Maryland State Senator The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single-m ...

from January 10, 2007, to January 14, 2015. He was the Senate Majority Leader from 2013 until he retired in January 2015.

Background

Born January 18, 1941, in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

, Robey was raised in

Daniels, Maryland Daniels is a ghost town straddling the Patapsco River east of Woodstock and north of Old Ellicott City in Baltimore and Howard counties, Maryland, United States. It is the location of the Daniels Mill, a site listed on the National Register o ...

, a small

mill town A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more List of types of mill#Manufacturing facilities, mills or factories, often cotton mills or factories producing textiles. Europe ...

in Howard County that was once located on the banks of the

Patapsco River The Patapsco River ( ) mainstem is a river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal portion forms the harbor for the city of Baltimore. With its South Branch, the Patapsco forms the northern border of Howar ...

. Robey graduated from Howard High School in

Ellicott City, Maryland Ellicott City is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place in, and the county seat of, Howard County, Maryland, Howard County, Maryland, United States. Part of the Baltimore metropolitan area, its ...

, in 1959. His high school principal, Omar J. Jones, was Howard County's first county executive. Robey earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from the

University of Maryland University College The University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) is a public university in College Park, Maryland, and the largest institution in the University System of Maryland. Established in 1947 as the College of Special and Continuation Studies of the U ...

(UMUC) in 1979. He also has master's degree in administrative management from

Hood College Hood College is a private college in Frederick, Maryland. In fall 2018, Hood enrolled 2,052 students (1,092 undergraduate students; 960 graduate students). Thirty-eight percent of students are either members of under-represented racial or ethni ...

Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in, and the county seat of, Frederick County, Maryland, United States. Frederick's population was 78,171 people as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Maryland, second-largest ...

, and has completed several training programs at the

FBI National Academy The FBI National Academy is a program of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Academy for active U.S. law enforcement personnel and also for international law enforcement personnel who seek to enhance their credentials in their field and to ...

Quantico, Virginia Quantico (; formerly Potomac) is a town in southeastern Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 578 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., bound ...

. His son, Wayne Robey, became the clerk of the Howard County Circuit Court when Margaret Rappaport retired in 2012.

Career

Robey joined the

Howard County Police Department The Howard County Police Department (HCPD) is the primary law enforcement agency of Howard County, Maryland. History From the founding of Howard County until 1894, the county's law enforcement responsibilities were handled by the Howard County S ...

in 1966 and was promoted to major by 1981. He was appointed by Charles I. Ecker to

Chief of Police A chief of police (COP) is the title given to an appointed official or an elected one in the command hierarchy, chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. A chief of police may also be known as a police chief or somet ...

in 1991, replacing Frederick Chaney. He retired from the police force in 1998 to run for office and was elected as Howard County Executive in 1998 and 2002. In 2006, Robey campaigned as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to represent the 13th district in the

Maryland State Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single ...

and won with 56% of the vote against Republican incumbent Sandra Schrader. In September 2013, he was chosen to replace State Senator Robert Garagiola as Senate Majority Leader. Robey retired from the Maryland State Senate on January 14, 2015.

Recognition

Robey was recognized by his alma mater,

(UMUC), as the 2002 "Distinguished Alumnus". In 2007, the James N. Robey Public Safety Training Facility, a training facility used by the Howard County police and fire departments, was dedicated in his honor. According to

Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is an American non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected offic ...

, an independent, nonprofit research organization, in 2011, Robey received a performance evaluation rating of 92% from Progressive Maryland, a nonprofit, liberal advocacy group that rates legislators based on their positions on social, liberal, and family-related issues. In 2008, he received a score of 97%.

Election history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robey, James N. 1941 births Democratic Party Maryland state senators FBI National Academy graduates Law enforcement officials from Maryland Living people Hood College alumni University of Maryland Global Campus alumni American police chiefs Politicians from Baltimore People from Elkridge, Maryland Howard County executives 20th-century Maryland politicians 21st-century members of the Maryland General Assembly