Services for Former State Rep. Harold James were attended by current and former public officials and many Philadelphians on Thursday at Yesha Ministries Worship Center. James, who served the 186th state legislative district for over 20 years, died April 28. He was 79.
He was born Aug 7, 1942, and graduated from West Philadelphia High School. Shortly after graduation, he served in the U.S. Army from 1961 to 1964 and then became a Philadelphia police officer until retiring in 1987.
He was elected as a Democrat to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1988 and served nine consecutive terms. He was unsuccessful during his campaign for re-election to the House in 2008, but was re-elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in a special election in 2012, to serve the remainder of a term.
“I saw firsthand James’ caring and compassion for the residents in his mostly South Philadelphia-based legislative district and his willingness to fight for issues impacting the lives of African Americans throughout Philadelphia,” said City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson, who preceded James in the state House. “He was at the forefront of fighting for criminal justice reform in Philadelphia that would benefit everyone. Many of the criminal justice reforms he first started fighting for back in the 1960s and 1970s are becoming reality today.”
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.