Biography
Judge James E. Rowley was born on April 8, 1926. He graduated from Washington & Jefferson College and earned his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. His prominent achievements in judicial ethics included being a member of the Pennsylvania Committee of Judicial Ethics as well as serving as chairman of the Pennsylvania Judicial Inquiry and Review Board.
Judge Rowley was a member of both the Beaver County Bar Association and the Pennsylvania and American Bar Associations for 51 years, as well as the American Judicature Society. He also served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
Judge Rowley began his career by working with his father as an attorney, until his appointment as judge to the Beaver County Court of Common Pleas. In 1981 he was elected to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, where he eventually became the court’s President Judge. He retired in 1996 and returned to the Beaver County Court of Common Pleas with senior status. He continued to serve on the Beaver County Court until he passed away on July 20, 2004.