Richard T. Rombro (1929-2020)
MSA SC 3520-11796
Biography:
Born to Benjamin and Anna (Schwartz) Rombro in Brooklyn, New York, January 13, 1929. The family moved to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where Rombro graduated from Williamsport High School in 1946. After graduation he served in the U.S. Army. Rombro later attended Lycoming College and McCoy College, and received a LL.B. from the University of Maryland Law School in 1953. While at Maryland, he was a member of the editorial staff of the Maryland Law Review.
Rombro was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1953 and practiced as a lawyer in Baltimore City. He served in the House of Delegates, Baltimore City District 4 (Democrat), 1959-1962. During his time in the legislature, Rombro distinguished himself by advocating for equal rights and the abolition of the death penalty. As a member of the Legislative Council, Rombro helped to lead a study in 1962 that recommended the gradual abolition of the death penalty.
Rombro was backed by Jack Pollack, whose Democratic party club was a dominant political force in northwestern Baltimore. Rombro ran for reelection in 1962, but was defeated in the Democratic primary that May. Running in Baltimore City's District 5 (he had moved), Rombro finished seventh, one spot away from reelection, about 2,000 votes short. He lost despite being supported by two rival Democratic Party organizations, Pollack's and Kovens-Goodman, which supported him and several other candidates "because of their records as legislators."
It is not clear whether any of Rombro's stances in the Assembly affected his support. Pollack's organization supposedly promised to secure Rombro's appointment to the House when the district got another seat, but someone else was appointed instead. Rombro subsequently repudiated Pollack's machine publicly, along with a group that included future-governor Marvin Mandel. Rombro appears not to have run for the Legislature again, but remained active in politics as a lobbyist. In 1966, he was the highest-paid lobbyist at the General Assembly. Rombro ran to be a delegate to the 1967 Constitutional Convention, but fell well short of being selected. He remained a leading lobbyist and influential political figure for many years to come. His connections with Mandel no doubt benefited him during those years.
Rombro was appointed to the Baltimore City Circuit Court as an associate judge in 1989. He served on the bench until he reached the mandatory retirement age in 1999, and continued to served as a senior judge until 2007, overseeing the massive asbestos docket. Known as an intelligent, compassionate judge, Rombro said in 2009 that "It's not really difficult to determine whether someone is guilty. The hard question is what to do with them after that."
Rombro married Joan Kaplan; that marriage ended in divorce. In 1984, he married Iris Kelman. He had three children, Allan, Charles, and Jay. He was a member and trustee of Beth Isaac Synagogue, a member of the American, Baltimore, and Junior Bar Associations and the Maryland Plaintiff's Bar Association. He was also a member of the Academy of Political Science and B'nai B'rith. Rombro died on November 17, 2020 in Baltimore City.
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