James N. Robey

Born January 18, 1941, in Baltimore, Maryland, Robey was raised in Daniels, Maryland,^[1] a small mill town in Howard County that was once located on the banks of the Patapsco River.^[2][3]

Robey graduated from Howard High School in Ellicott City, Maryland, in 1959. His high school principal, Omar J. Jones, was Howard County's first county executive.^[1] 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.^[1][4]

His son, Wayne Robey, became the clerk of the Howard County Circuit Court when Margaret Rappaport retired in 2012.^[5][6]

Robey joined the Howard County Police Department in 1966 and was promoted to major by 1981.^[4] He was appointed by Charles I. Ecker to Chief of Police in 1991, replacing Frederick Chaney.^[4] He retired from the police force in 1998 to run for office^[7] and was elected as Howard County Executive in 1998 and 2002.^[1]

In 2006, Robey campaigned as a Democrat to represent the 13th district in the Maryland State Senate 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.

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.^[1]

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.^[8] In 2008, he received a score of 97%.^[9]