Judge Ivorey Cobb
Judge Ivorey Cobb: New Hampshire's First African American Jurist
Judge Ivorey Cobb was born September 28, 1911, in Andalusia, Alabama, son of Sam and Minerva (Minnie) Cobb. He graduated from Fifth Avenue High School in Pittsburgh, Pa. going on to attend Duquesne University prior to entering military service in 1942. During his military career he pursued further undergraduate and graduate studies at Rutgers University, Northeastern University, the University of Maryland Overseas Division in Austria and Italy. In June 1960, Judge Cobb received his Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School.
After a period of distinguished and decorated military service, and an early career in newspaper publishing, Judge Ivorey Cobb opened a law practice in Colebrook, New Hampshire in 1962. In 1965, Judge Cobb was elected President of the Coos County Bar Association by his professional associates. The same year, he was nominated by New Hampshire Governor John W. King and approved by the New Hampshire Executive Council as Associate Justice of the Colebrook Municipal Court. In November 1968 Judge Ivorey Cobb was confirmation as Justice of the Colebrook District Court making him the first and only African American judge in the state of New Hampshire. The Honorable Judge Ivorey Cobb served in that capacity until 1981 when he retired.
For a more detailed biography provided by his family visit our Special Collections page.
Special thanks to Louise Cobb Phillips for reviewing letter transcriptions and identifying individuals in family photographs.
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