Collection number: MC 353
Size:
(4 boxes)
(2.66 cu.ft.)
About Ivorey Cobb (1911-1992)
The following biography of Ivorey Cobb was supplied by his family:
"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.
"Ivorey Cobb and Elsie Margaret Stanton were married on June 13, 1938 and to this union were born three daughters: Marilyn Eva, Gretel Anne and Louise (Louisa) Minerva. Prior to entering military service, Judge Cobb acquired hands-on experience in newspaper reporting, newswriting, circulation and advertising, photography, photoengraving, printing and layout before becoming Owner, General Manager and Publisher of The Pittsburgh Crusader and the more prominent Pittsburgh Examiner, a Historical African American Newspaper. He entered the Army in July 1942 at which time the United States Army was segregated. In 1943, Judge Cobb was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of the 596th Transportation Truck Corps. He went overseas in 1943 with the United States Armed Forces in Germany and also served in Austria and Italy as well as The Korean Conflict. After returning to the United States from overseas duty, Judge Cobb became Editor of the Fort Devens Dispatch newspaper and the Camp Drum Sentinel newspaper.
"Judge Cobb had a distinguished military career receiving numerous decorations, citations, commendations and medals for meritorious service and retired in 1962 with the rank of United States Army Major. He joined the National Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the New Hampshire Bar Association and the Coos County Bar Association in 1962, the same year he moved to Colebrook, New Hampshire to practice law. In 1965, Judge Cobb was elected President of the Coos County Bar Association by his professional associates. In 1974, New Hampshire Governor Meldrim Thomson, Jr. nominated Judge Cobb for membership on the New Hampshire Commission on Civil Rights.
"Judge Cobb was honored on three special occasions after beginning his law practice in Colebrook, New Hampshire. In 1965 he was awarded Honorary Doctor of Laws from Suffolk University. In 1965, New Hampshire Governor John W. King nominated Judge Cobb and he was approved by the New Hampshire Executive Council as Associate Justice of the Colebrook Municipal Court. In November 1968, it was ability and character that produced his November 1968 confirmation as Justice of the Colebrook District Court making Judge Ivorey Cobb 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.
"The Honorable Judge Ivorey Cobb passed away December 18, 1992 and was survived by Elsie Margaret Stanton Cobb who passed away August 28, 1993. Judge Cobb and Elsie Stanton Cobb were survived by their three daughters and seven grandchildren."
About the Ivorey Cobb Collection (1911-2023)
This collection contains vital and military records, family correspondence during Cobb's years in the US Army, photographs of his family and military life. Civilian newspapers cover Ivorey Cobb's appointment to the court in 1964 and his remarkable legal career and accomplishments, while two bound volumes of military newspapers are the result of his position as editor. His close relationship with his wife and three daughters is evident throughout.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
This collection is open.
Copyright Notice
Contents of this collection are governed by U.S. copyright law. For questions about publication or reproduction rights, contact Special Collections staff.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], [Folder Number], [Box Number], Ivorey Cobb Collection, 1911-2023, MC 353, Milne Special Collections and Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH, USA.
Acquisitions Information
Donation of the Cobb family, 2019.
Related Material
Suffolk University Digital Collections: photograph of Judge Ivorey Cobb receiving an honorary degree, 1965. [Note: His diploma reads 1968.]
Separated Material
Some materials were incomplete upon acquisition. A small amount of correspondence was removed in late 2023 and returned to the donors at their request.
Collection Arrangement
The collection is arranged in a single series, with oversized materials in the second box.
Collection Contents
| Box 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Box 1, Folder 1 | Vital and Military Records, 1931-1992 | |
| Box 1, Folder 2 | School and Judicial Certificates, 1931-1975 | |
| Box 1, Folder 3 | Cobb Family Letters, 1950-1952 | |
| Box 1, Folder 4 | Cobb Family Letters, 1954 | |
| Box 1, Folder 5 | Cobb Family Letters, 1955 | |
| Box 1, Folder 6 | Cobb Family Letters, 1962-1992 and undated/fragments | |
| Box 1, Folder 7 | Letters to/from Others, 1950-1992 and undated | |
| Box 1, Folder 8 | Family Photographs, 1940s | |
| Box 1, Folder 9 | Military Service Photographs, 1950-1954 | |
| Box 1, Folder 10 | Family Travel Photographs, 1950s | |
| Box 1, Folder 11 | Certificate & Photos from Cobb daughters - Scuola di Danza Classica, Venice, 1957 | |
| Box 2 | ||
| Box 2, Folder 1 | Family Photos and Photo Identification Key, 1911-1980 | |
| Box 2, Folder 2 | Family Photos, 1911-1980 | |
| Box 2, Folder 3 | Family Photos, 1911-1980 | |
| Box 2, Folder 4 | Family Photographs, after 1950 | |
| Box 2, Folder 5 | Photographic Negatives, undated | |
| Box 2, Folder 6 | Newspaper Clippings, 1930-1992 | |
| Box 2, Folder 7 | NH Supreme Court Portrait Unveiling Ceremony Program, 2023 | |
| Oversize Box 3 | ||
Albums, 1943 & undated
| ||
| Oversize Box 4 | ||
Oversized Materials & Ephemera, unfoldered,
1930-1970s
| ||
