View source for James N. Robey

{{Short description|American politician (born 1941)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image               = File:1senatorrobey.jpg
| alt                 = James Robey headshot
| name                = James N. Robey
| state_senate        = Maryland
| district            = 13th
| term_start          = January 10, 2007
| term_end            = January 14, 2015
| preceded            = Sandra Schrader
| office2             = [[Majority Leader]] of the Maryland Senate
| term_start2         = September 1, 2013
| term_end2           = January 14, 2015
| preceded2           = [[Robert Garagiola]]
| succeeded2          = [[Catherine Pugh]]
| office3             = 7th [[County Executive]] of [[Howard County, Maryland|Howard County]]
| term_start3         = December 1998
| term_end3           = December 4, 2006
| predecessor3        = Charles Ecker
| successor3          = [[Ken Ulman]]
| birth_place         = [[Baltimore|Baltimore, Maryland]], U.S.
| residence           = [[Elkridge, Maryland]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Howard County General Assembly Members|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/politics/maryland/hx_assembly.html|accessdate=March 17, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=November 2006}}</ref>
| party               = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| alma_mater          = [[University of Maryland, University College]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]]),<br>[[Hood College]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]])
| successor1          = [[Guy Guzzone]]
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1941|01|18}}
}}

'''James N. Robey Jr.''' (born January 18, 1941), an American [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] politician, was a [[Maryland State Senator]] from January 10, 2007, to January 14, 2015. He was the Senate Majority Leader from 2013 until he retired in January 2015.<ref name="MarySenate">{{cite web|title=James N. Robey, Maryland State Senator|url=http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/05sen/former/html/msa13849.html|work=Maryland Manual On-Line|publisher=Maryland State Archives|accessdate=March 17, 2017|date=November 10, 2015}}</ref>

==Background==
Born January 18, 1941, in [[Baltimore|Baltimore, Maryland]], Robey was raised in [[Daniels, Maryland]],<ref name="MarySenate"/> a small [[mill town]] in [[Howard County, Maryland|Howard County]] that was once located on the banks of the [[Patapsco River]].<ref>{{cite thesis|last=Pickard|first=Nancy Quinn|title=Mending a Fractured Landscape: Balancing Culture and Nature in the Vanishing Mill Town of Daniels, Maryland|type=Thesis for Master of Historic Preservation|via=Digital Repository at the University of Maryland (DRUM)|date=May 2012|url=http://drum.lib.umd.edu/bitstream/handle/1903/12505/Pickard%20Final%20Drum%20Version.pdf;jsessionid=E756B08CE19EFCD969A19CBE21E00E00?sequence=1|accessdate=March 17, 2017|publisher=University of Maryland Libraries}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Howard County|author=The Howard County Historical Society|page=6}}{{full citation needed|date=May 2017}}</ref>

Robey graduated from [[Howard High School (Howard County, Maryland)|Howard High School]] in [[Ellicott City, Maryland]], in 1959. His high school principal, [[Omar J. Jones]], was Howard County's first [[county executive]].<ref name="MarySenate" /> Robey earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from the [[University of Maryland University College]] (UMUC) in 1979. He also has master's degree in administrative management from [[Hood College]] in [[Frederick, Maryland]], and has completed several training programs at the [[FBI National Academy]] in [[Quantico, Virginia]].<ref name="MarySenate" /><ref name=EveningSun/>

His son, Wayne Robey, became the clerk of the Howard County Circuit Court when Margaret Rappaport retired in 2012.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Business Monthly|title=Competitive Primary Races for Some Offices: But Low Turnout Expected|author=Lazarick, Len|date=June 3, 2014|url=http://www.bizmonthly.com/competitive-primary-races-for-some-offices-but-low-turnout-expected/|accessdate=March 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170318172557/http://www.bizmonthly.com/competitive-primary-races-for-some-offices-but-low-turnout-expected/|archive-date=March 18, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|title=Howard County Circuit Court Clerk Retires for Health Reasons|author=Lavoie, Luke|date=November 8, 2002|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/ph-circuit-court-clerk-retires-20121107-story.html|accessdate=March 17, 2017}}</ref>

==Career==
Robey joined the [[Howard County Police Department (Maryland)|Howard County Police Department]] in 1966 and was promoted to major by 1981.<ref name=EveningSun/> He was appointed by [[Charles I. Ecker]] to [[Chief of Police]] in 1991, replacing Frederick Chaney.<ref name=EveningSun>{{cite news|last1=West |first1=Norris P. |title=Ecker Appoints Howard County Police Chief: Robey Moves Up to Head Police Force |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1991/02/26/ecker-appoints-howard-county-police-chief-robey-moves-up-to-head-police-force/ |access-date=March 17, 2017 |work=The Evening Sun |publisher=Tribune Digital |date=February 26, 1991 |location=Baltimore, MD }}</ref> He retired from the police force in 1998 to run for office<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=May 20, 2006|title=Howard Co. Chief of Police to Retire: Livesay is Running for County Council|author=Carson, Larry|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2006/05/20/howard-co-chief-of-police-to-retire/|access-date=March 17, 2017}}</ref> and was elected as Howard County Executive in 1998 and 2002.<ref name="MarySenate" />

In 2006, Robey campaigned as a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] to represent the 13th district in the [[Maryland State Senate]] and won with 56% of the vote against [[Republican Party (United States)|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, [[University of Maryland University College]] (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.<ref name="MarySenate" />

According to [[Vote Smart]], 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rating Group: Progressive Maryland − 2011 Positions on Progressive Policy|url=https://votesmart.org/interest-group/396/rating/6240|website=Vote Smart|accessdate=March 17, 2017}}</ref> In 2008, he received a score of 97%.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rating Group: Progressive Maryland − 2008 Positions on Progressive Policy|url=https://votesmart.org/interest-group/396/rating/4174?of=rating|website=Vote Smart|accessdate=March 17, 2017}}</ref>

==Election history==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Office
! Election
!
! Subject
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
! Opponent
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
! Opponent
! Party
! Votes
! %
|-
| 1998
| Howard County Executive
| General
|
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |James N. Robey
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |43,322 
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |55%
|
| {{party shading/Republican}}|Dennis Schrader
| {{party shading/Republican}}|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| {{party shading/Republican}}|35,081
| {{party shading/Republican}}|44%
|
| colspan=4|&nbsp;
|-
| 2006
| Maryland Senate District 13
| General
|
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |James N. Robey
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |24,354 
| {{party shading/Democratic}} |56.1% 
|
| {{party shading/Republican}}|Sandra Schrader
| {{party shading/Republican}}|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| {{party shading/Republican}}|19,021
| {{party shading/Republican}}|43.8% 
|
| colspan=4|&nbsp;

|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{County Executives of Howard County, Maryland}}

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