Robert E. Colville

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Preceded byEdmund B. Spaeth Jr.
Succeeded byAnne Lazarus
Preceded byJohn Hickton
Succeeded byStephen Zappala
Robert Colville
Judge of the Pennsylvania Superior Court
In office
March 20, 2006  January 6, 2010
Preceded byEdmund B. Spaeth Jr.
Succeeded byAnne Lazarus
Judge of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas
In office
January 1, 1998  March 17, 2006
17th District Attorney of Allegheny County
In office
January 5, 1976  January 1, 1998
Preceded byJohn Hickton
Succeeded byStephen Zappala
16th Pittsburgh Police Chief
In office
February 10, 1971  March 1, 1975
Preceded byStephen Joyce
Succeeded byRobert Coll
Personal details
Born(1935-05-23)May 23, 1935
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedSeptember 11, 2018(2018-09-11) (aged 83)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
Spouses
  • Judy Joyce
  • Janet Graham
Children6, including Robert John
Alma materDuquesne University (BA, JD)
ProfessionAttorney, politician, police officer
NicknameBob
Military service
Years of service1961–1975 (Pittsburgh Police Department)
Rank Chief (1971–1975)
Homicide Detective (1969–1971)
Patrolman (1961–1969)

Robert E. Colville (May 23, 1935 – September 11, 2018) was an American police officer, attorney, and judge from Pittsburgh. Over the course of his career, he served as Pittsburgh Police Chief, as the district attorney of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and finally, as a judge on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas and the Pennsylvania Superior Court.

Colville was born on May 23, 1935, and grew up in the Manchester section of Pittsburgh.[1][2] After graduating from North Catholic High School in 1953, Colville joined the United States Marine Corps. He later attended Duquesne University, where he obtained his BA in 1963. Colville then returned to North Catholic, where he was a teacher, and the school's head football coach.[3] He earned a law degree from Duquesne in 1969.[1]

Colville lived on Pittsburgh's North Side.[4] He had six children: three his first marriage to Judy Joyce, including federal judge Robert J. Colville, and three from his second marriage, to Janet Graham, which lasted until his death.[5][4]

Colville died from lung cancer at Allegheny General Hospital on September 11, 2018, at the age of 83.[4]

Police career

Colville joined the Pittsburgh Police Department in 1961, and became a homicide detective in 1969.[1] From 1971 through 1975, Colville served as Pittsburgh Chief of Police under Mayor Pete Flaherty.[6] While Chief in 1974 he started the department on testing for promotions.[7]

References

See also

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