Richard S. Gebelein
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Richard Stephen Gebelein (June 8, 1946 – December 22, 2021) was an American politician and jurist who served as the Attorney General of Delaware from 1979 through 1983, as a judge on the Delaware Superior Court from 1984 through 2005, and as an international judge in the
Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina :''This article refers to the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a domestic court which includes international judges and prosecutors and a section for war crimes; it should not be confused with the separate International Criminal Tribunal for the For ...
. He was a member of the Republican Party.


Early life

Richard Stephen Gebelein was born on 8 June 1946, in
Darby, Pennsylvania Darby is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is located along Darby Creek southwest of Center City Philadelphia. The borough of Darby is distinct from the nearby municipality of Darby Township. History Darby ...
.  At an early age, Gebelein moved with his family to Longwood Estates,
Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania Chadds Ford is a census-designated place (CDP) in Delaware and Chester counties, Pennsylvania, United States, comprising the unincorporated communities of Chadds Ford and Chadds Ford Knoll. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census ...
, and attended St. Joseph on the Brandywine for his early education.  Raised a Roman Catholic, Gebelein attended Salesianum School in
Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...
, for High School and graduated class of 1964 with honors in mathematics, science, and religion.  Gebelein was later inducted into Salesianum's Hall of Fame in 2017. In 1980, Gebelein was married to his wife, Anna, and together they raised three children.


Career


Early career

Gebelein received his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the
University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...
in 1967. At age 21, Gebelein was elected the youngest magistrate in the Magisterial District Courts of the
Commonwealth of 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, Ma ...
. Gebelein went on to earn his Juris Doctor degree from
Villanova University School of Law Villanova University's Charles Widger School of Law (known as Villanova University School of Law) is a law school of the Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1953, the School of Law is approved by the American Bar Associat ...
in 1970. After graduating law school, Gebelein began work for the State of Delaware as a law clerk for the Honorable William Duffy in the Delaware Court of Chancery and Honorable Vincent J. Bifferato, Jr. in the Superior Court of Delaware.  Gebelein was admitted to the state Bars of the Delaware Supreme Court and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in November 1971. In 1971, Gebelein was appointed as a Deputy Attorney General to the Delaware Department of Justice under Attorney General W. Laird Stabler, Jr. and served in that role for 3 years.  Gebelein was appointed as Delaware State Solicitor and admitted to the Bar of the United States Supreme Court In 1974. In 1975, Gebelein was appointed Chief Deputy Public Defender for the State of Delaware and served in that role until leaving the Delaware Department of Justice in 1976 to practice law as a partner in Wilson A. Whittington, PA. In 1979, Gebelein returned the Delaware Department of Justice to serve as Attorney General after defeating incumbent Attorney General Richard R. Wier, Jr. in the 1978 General Election.


Attorney General of Delaware

From 1979 through 1983, Gebelein served as the Attorney General of Delaware. As Attorney General, Gebelein oversaw statewide criminal prosecutions and investigations of organized crime, including the indictment and prosecution of Frank Sheeren for labor racketeering. From 1980 through 1983, Gebelein served as a member of the Legislative and chairman of the Institutions and Corrections Subcommittees of the National Association of Attorneys General as well as the member of the United States Department of Justice, Executive Working Group. In the 1982 Delaware General Election for Attorney General, Gebelein lost his re-election efforts to Charles M. Oberly III.


Superior Court of Delaware

In 1984, after losing his re-election bid as Attorney General, Gebelein was asked by the Delaware Supreme Court to serve as Delaware’s first Disciplinary Counsel on the newly established Board of Professional Responsibility.  In that role, Gebelein was tasked with enforcing the Board’s attorney rules of conduct, investigating, and prosecuting matters related to ethical violations. Subsequently, Gebelein was appointed by
Governor of Delaware A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Pete du Pont to the Delaware Superior Court as an Associate Judge and took office on October 5, 1984. In 1989, Judge Gebelein served as the trial judge during the prosecution of Steven Brian Pennell, The Route 40 Killer.  During the course of the trial, Judge Gebelein set legal precedent by admitting DNA collected from carpet fibers into the case as absolute legal evidence.  It was the first trial in the United States to use DNA as legal evidence in such a manner. During his tenure with the Delaware Superior Court, Judge Gebelein served as a commissioner (1985) and later the chairman (1988) of Delaware’s Sentencing Accountability Commission, which was tasked by the
Delaware General Assembly The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 representatives. It meets at Legisl ...
to exam suitable punishment or supervision alternatives to incarceration for non-violent criminal offenders. Judge Gebelein's work on establishment of the Delaware Superior Court Drug Court received national recognition. In 1994, Gebelein was a founding member of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. Gebelein testified as an expert on Drug Courts before the United States Congress in 1995 and 1996.


Military Service

In 1979, Gebelein joined the
Delaware Army National Guard The Delaware Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. National coordination of various state National Guard units are maintained through the National Guard Bureau. The Delaware Army Na ...
as an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate in  the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. From September 2004 through March 2005, Gebelein, a
Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
in the Delaware Army National Guard, and Staff Judge Advocate General, was deployed to
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
, and assisted in helping to rebuild its judicial system as Rule of Law Officer for the Combined Forces Command during Operation Enduring Freedom. Colonel Gebelein was awarded several commendations during his military career including: the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal, and Army Achievement Medal.  Additionally, Gebelein received the Delaware Conspicuous Service Cross and the Delaware National Guard Medal.


Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina

On August 1, 2005,
Paddy Ashdown Jeremy John Durham Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, (27 February 194122 December 2018), better known as Paddy Ashdown, was a British politician and diplomat who served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1988 to 1999. Internati ...
,
High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina The High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, were created in 1995 immediately after the signing of the Dayton Agreement which ended the 1992–1995 Bos ...
, appointed Gebelein to Section I for War Crimes of the Criminal and Appellate Divisions and to Section II for Organised Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption of the Criminal and Appellate Divisions of the
Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina :''This article refers to the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a domestic court which includes international judges and prosecutors and a section for war crimes; it should not be confused with the separate International Criminal Tribunal for the For ...
. He was appointed for a two-year term. On August 31, 2005, he retired from the Delaware Superior Court in order to become an international judge on the
Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina :''This article refers to the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a domestic court which includes international judges and prosecutors and a section for war crimes; it should not be confused with the separate International Criminal Tribunal for the For ...
. He also retired from the Delaware Army National Guard in order to assume this position.


Return to Delaware and later career

In 2006, Judge Gebelein was chosen by Attorney General-Elect Joseph R. "Beau" Biden, III, as Biden’s Chief Deputy Attorney General.  Biden, 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 (United States) (D) **Democratic ...
, received some praise for reaching across party lines in appointing Gebelein, 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 ...
. Gebelein managed the Office of the Attorney General during Biden's military deployment in 2008. Gebelein served as Chief of Party for the
USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...
Justice Sector Development Project II, a three component Rule of Law Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The multi-year project was designed to enhance the independence and effectiveness of the judicial sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Gebelein taught law and legal studies at various times through his professional career at the
University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 ma ...
, Wilmington College, Widener University School of Law, and
Rowan University Rowan University is a public research university in Glassboro, New Jersey, with a medical campus in Stratford and medical and academic campuses in Camden. It was founded in 1923 as Glassboro Normal School on a site donated by 107 residents. ...
.


Death

Gebelein died on December 22, 2021, after a long battle with
cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gebelein, Richard S. 1946 births 2021 deaths Delaware Attorneys General Delaware Republicans Delaware Superior Court judges Deaths from cancer in Delaware