James C. Crumlish Jr.

He was born and raised in Philadelphia. His father, James Sr., was a judge of the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas and was a recognized figure within the city's Democratic Party hierarchy. Crumlish attended Georgetown University, and was in the process of earning his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law when World War II broke out. He joined the Navy, and served as a senior line officer aboard the battleship {{Ship|USS|Iowa|BB-61|6}}. He took part in eight major battles and achieved the rank of lieutenant commander when he was 25 years old.

Crumlish returned to law school following the end of the war, and was admitted to the bar in 1949. He specialized in litigation while practicing general law, and in 1952, was appointed to the Philadelphia Registration Commission.

Ten years after his appointment to the Registration Commission, he was appointed Philadelphia District Attorney. His appointment followed the ascension of incumbent District Attorney Victor Blanc to a judgeship. A political unknown, his appointment was attributed to his relationship with Fifth District Congressman and Philadelphia Democratic Party Chairman Bill Green Jr.

He was elected to the job in his own right in the 1961 election and developed a reputation as someone unafraid to take on judges, including his predecessor, Victor H. Blanc. Crumlish was, however, handily defeated for re-election in 1965 by future U.S. Senator Arlen Specter. Though at the time a registered Democrat, Specter ran as a Republican, and campaigned against the perceived corruption of the city's Democratic establishment.

After his defeat, Crumlish briefly returned to private practice, but became politically active again in 1968 as a representative for regional activities for Mayor James Tate. He ran for a judgeship in 1969 and lost, but was appointed in March 1970 to a seat on the newly created Commonwealth Court by Republican Governor Raymond P. Shafer.{{cite news |title= Deaths/James C. Crumlish, Jr., Ex-DA, Retired Judge |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DN&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI%7CDN&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB29F1EF71FDD53&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|newspaper=The Philadelphia Daily News|date=March 18, 1992 |access-date=October 22, 2011}}

Voters chose to retain him on the court in the 1977 and 1987 judicial retention elections. Crumlish was elected the court's President Judge in 1980, following the death of James S. Bowman, and retired from the position in 1990, per court regulations.{{cite news |title= Pittenger Drops Out of U.S. Senate Race |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5qNdAAAAIBAJ&pg=1371,2573128&dq=crumlish+president&hl=en|newspaper=Observer-Reporter|date= February 21, 1980|access-date=October 22, 2011}}{{cite news |title= Flaherty, Cavanaugh, Craig Seek Retention|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TtFRAAAAIBAJ&pg=3978,2420641&dq=david+craig+elected+commonwealth+court+president+judge&hl=en|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date= November 8, 1989|access-date=October 22, 2011}}

He served as a senior judge on the court from 1990 until his death.

Upon his death in 1992, which followed a brief illness, Crumlish was survived by his wife, Rosemary, two sons, three daughters, five brothers, a sister and 11 grandchildren.{{cite news |title= James C. Crumlish Jr. Judge, 72|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/25/obituaries/james-c-crumlish-jr-judge-72.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date= March 25, 1992|access-date=October 22, 2011}}

{{Portal|Philadelphia}}

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{{Succession box| before=James Bowman |title=President Judge of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania| years=1980–1990 | after=David Craig}}

{{Succession box| before=Court Created |title=Judge of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania| years=1970–1992 | after=Robert Byer}}

{{Succession box| before=Victor Blanc |title=District Attorney of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania| years=1962–1966 | after=Arlen Specter}}

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Category:Pennsylvania Democrats

Category:1920 births

Category:1992 deaths

Category:Pennsylvania lawyers

Category:District attorneys of Philadelphia

Category:University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni

Category:20th-century American lawyers