Robert Nelson Cornelius Nix Jr (1928 - 2003)

Born 13 Jul 1928 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Ancestors

Died 23 Aug 2003 at age 75 in Wyndmoor, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, United States

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Biography

Robert Nix Jr is Notable.

Robert Nix Jr. was the first African American to be elected to statewide office in Pennsylvania, and the first African American chief justice of any state supreme court in the nation. He was born into a family of high achievers. His grandfather was born a slave but earned a doctorate in mathematics and became a college dean; his father was Pennsylvania's first black congressman. ^[1]

Robert was born in 1928, the only child of Robert Nix and Ethel Lanier. The family was living on Fairmont Avenue in Philadelphia. His father was a lawyer in the city.^[2]

The family would remain on Fairmont Avenue and in 1940, Robert Jr had completed 5th grade.^[3]

Nix Jr. was educated at Central High School in his home city of Philadelphia where he graduated with the highest honors. He attended Villanova University, where he majored in philosophy, graduating at the top of his class with an A.B. in 1952.^[4]

Robert served in the Army from November 1953 to August 1955.^[5]

Nix qualified for the Pennsylvania bar in 1956 and became a deputy attorney general, but in 1958 he joined his father in private legal practice with the firm Nix, Rhodes, and Nix, where he became an important lawyer in civil rights trials. Nix resigned from the firm when he became a judge in Philadelphia County's common pleas court in 1968, a post he held until 1971. He served as an Associate Justice in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court until 1984 at which time he became Supreme Court Justice, a position he held until his retirement in 1996.

Robert married Renate E Bryant on 23 February 1991. It was his second marriage.^[6]

Robert died on August 22, 2003^[7] He was buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.^[8]

Career Highlights

• Pennsylvania State Supreme Court Chief Justice (1984-96)
• Pennsylvania State Supreme Court Justice (1972-84)
• Pennsylvania State Official Judge, 1st Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia (1968-71)
• Nix, Rhodes & Nix Partner (1958-68)
• Pennsylvania State Official Deputy Attorney General (1956-58)
• Pennsylvania Bar Association 1956

Sources

1. ↑ https://biography.jrank.org/pages/2670/Nix-Robert-N-C-Jr.html#ixzz7D3dTZe5a
2. ↑ 1930 Census: "1930 United States Federal Census"
   Year: 1930; Census Place: Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Page: 14B; Enumeration District: 0487; FHL microfilm: 2341872
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry ca Record 6224 #55078317 (accessed 23 November 2021)
   Robert Nix, single son in household of Robert Nix (30) in Fairmount Ave, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Born in Pennsylvania.
3. ↑ 1940 Census: "1940 United States Federal Census"
   Year: 1940; Census Place: Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roll: m-t0627-03745; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 51-1860
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry ca Record 2442 #23773260 (accessed 23 November 2021)
   Robert N C Nix (11), single son in household of Robert N C Nix (42) in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Born in Pennsylvania.
4. ↑ 1950 School Yearbook: "U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-1999"
   "U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: Villanova College; Year: 1950
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry ca Record 1265 #263198283 (accessed 23 November 2021)
   Name: Robert Nix Jr; Yearbook Date: 1950; School: Villanova College; School Location: Villanova, Pennsylvania, USA.
5. ↑ Military: "U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010"
   Ancestry ca Record 2441 #12330928 (accessed 23 November 2021)
   Name: Robert Nelson Nix; Gender: Male; Birth Date: 13 Jul 1928; Death Date: 22 Aug 2003; SSN: 171343835; Enlistment Branch: ARMY; Enlistment Date: 3 Nov 1953; Discharge Date: 2 Aug 1955; Page number: 1.
6. ↑ Marriage: "Nevada, U.S., Marriage Index, 1956-2005"
   Ancestry ca Record 1100 #4629188 (accessed 23 November 2021)
   Robert N Nix marriage to Renate E Bryant on 23 Feb 1991.
7. ↑ Death Registration: "U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014"
   Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File
   Ancestry ca Record 3693 #71542505 (accessed 23 November 2021)
   Robert N, Jr Nix Jr death 22 Aug 2003.
8. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7802244/robert-nc-nix : accessed 23 November 2021), memorial page for Robert N.C. Nix Jr. (13 Jul 1928–23 Aug 2003), Find A Grave: Memorial #7802244, citing Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Cheltenham Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA ; Maintained by rjschatz (contributor 46560566) .

See also:

• Nielsen, E. (2016, December 07). Robert Nelson Cornelius Nix Jr. (1928–2003). BlackPast.org. accessed 11-23-2021 Robert Nix Jr

• Wikipedia contributors. (2021, September 26). Robert N. C. Nix Jr.. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:16, November 23, 2021, from Robert N C Nix Jr

• the University of Pennsylvania, Alumni Obituaries website accessed 11-23-2021 Link to Page

• "Robert N.C. Nix Jr.," Biography Resource Center, ww.galenet.com/servlet/BioRC (January 10, 2005) website accessed 11-23-2021 Robert N.C. Nix Jr. Biography - Pennsylvania, Court, Justice, and Judge - JRank Articles Bio of Robert Nix Jr

• The Associated Press, August 26, 2003. The New York Times website accessed 11-23-2021 Obituary of R N C Nix Jr