Roman Gribbs

Roman Gribbs
Judge of the Michigan Court of Appeals
In office January 1, 1983 – January 1, 2001
65th Mayor of Detroit
In office January 6, 1970 – January 1, 1974
Preceded by	Jerome Cavanagh
Succeeded by	Coleman Young
Wayne County Sheriff
In office 1968–1969
Preceded by	Peter L. Buback
Succeeded by	William Lucas (Michigan)
Personal details
Born	Roman Stanley Gribbs December 29, 1925 Detroit, Michigan
Died	April 5, 2016 (aged 90) Northville, Michigan
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Katherine Stratis (1, 1954−1982) Leola Young Barr (2, 1990−2016)
Children	5
Alma mater	University of Detroit
Military service
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1944–1948
Battles/wars	World War II

Roman Stanley Gribbs (December 29, 1925 – April 5, 2016) was an American politician who was the Mayor of Detroit from 1970 to 1974.^[1] Later, Gribbs served as a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals.^[2]

Life and career

Gribbs was born in Detroit on December 29, 1925.^[3] He was raised on a farm near Capac, Michigan.^[4] His parents were Polish immigrants who were basically farmers, though his father also worked on the Ford assembly line. After graduating from high school in 1944,^[3] Gribbs served in the Army until 1948.^[3] He graduated from the University of Detroit in 1952 with a degree in economics and accounting,^[3] and received a law degree from the same institution in 1954.^[3] He was an instructor at the university from 1955 through 1957,^[3] and became an assistant prosecutor in 1957, a position he held until 1964.^[3][4] He entered private practice in 1964,^[3] and ran for a seat as a Recorder's Court judge in 1966, but lost.^[4]

In 1968, Gribbs was appointed sheriff of Wayne County, later winning a full four-year term.^[4] However, in 1969 he was elected mayor of Detroit,^[3] defeating opponent Richard H. Austin who later became Michigan Secretary of State. Rather than residing in the Manoogian Mansion, official residence of the mayor of Detroit, Gribbs maintained residence in Rosedale Park Historic District (Detroit, Michigan), a neighborhood in northwest Detroit. In 1973, Gribbs declined to seek re-election^[5] and was replaced by Coleman Young who was elected Detroit's first African-American mayor in November of that year.

After leaving the mayor's office, Gribbs returned to private practice.^[3] Gribbs became a circuit court judge in 1975.^[2] He was elected to the Michigan Court of Appeals in 1982,^[2] upon which he served until his retirement in 2001.^[5] Gribbs retired to Northville in suburban Detroit, and conducted private practice in mediation and arbitration. He was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Piast Institute, a research center devoted to Polish and Polish American affairs.^[5][6]

Personal life

Gribbs was married to Katherine Stratis (1932–2011) from 1954 to 1982, and together they had four daughters (Paula, Carla, Rebecca, Elizabeth) and one son (Christopher). In 1990, he married Leola Young Barr. Gribbs died on April 5, 2016 at his home in Northville, Michigan from cancer, aged 90.^[7]

References

1. Simpson, Victor L. (6 November 1969). "Candidates win without 'law and order' issue". Rock Hill Herald. AP. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
2. Benac, Nancy (3 November 1982). "Dem Victories Cost Women Their Seat on High Court". Argus-Press. AP. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
3. "JUDGES OF THE COURT OF APPEALS", 1999–2000 Michigan Manual (PDF), Legislative Council, State of Michigan, p. 585, ISBN 1-878210-06-8
4. "Meet Roman Gribbs, New Detroit Mayor". The Windsor Star. Nov 5, 1969.
5. "Biographies of Piast Institute Staff, Directors and Fellows: Hon. Roman H. Gribbs". Piast Institute. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
6. "The Mission and History of Piast Institute". Piast Institute. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
7. Ferretti, Christine (5 April 2016). "Ex-Detroit Mayor Roman Gribbs dies at age 90". The Detroit News.