Cobey, James A., 1913-

James A. Cobey, a practicing attorney, was elected to the California State Senate in 1953 to represent the Twenty-Fourth Assembly District and served through 1966. He served on the Agriculture and Judiciary Committees throughout his tenure. His other committees were: Fish and Game; Finance; Labor; Military and Veterans Affairs; Revenue and Taxation; Elections, Social Welfare, and Water. He was a legislative appointee to the California Law Revision Commission. In 1966, he was appointed Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal, where he served until his retirement in 1981. He was a part-time instructor at Southwestern Law School and served as a mandatory judicial referee in the Pasadena superior court at the time of the interview.

Biography

James A. Cobey was first elected to the State Senate in 1954 from the 24th Senatorial District representing the counties of Madera and Merced. A Democrat, Cobey has specialized in the fields of agriculture, judicial process, fiscal legislation, water, and welfare. He was a Senatorial member of the California Law Revision Commission and first winner of the national Legislative Leaders Golden Gavel award, June 1962. Cobey lost a bid for relection in November, 1966, in the reapportioned 15th Senatorial District. Following the defeat Governor Edmund G. Brown appointed Cobey as Associate Justice to the 2nd Appellate Court, Los Angeles.