Biographical Sketches of Famous Freeporters

.
Moxey Rigby (1892-1962)

(Freeport High School Class of 1913 from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 5, 1913)

Moxey Alexander Rigby, graduate of Freeport High School and long time Village resident, was Nassau County's first African American Judge. When elected to the District Court in 1959 he became the first African American to hold an elected office in the County. Judge Rigby was vice-Chairman of the Freeport Housing Authority, an agency which he helped to create, and was a member of numerous public organizations.

Born on Turks Island in the Bahamas, Rigby was only five years old when his father, a boat captain, died. Rigby was inspired to become a lawyer after a close family friend, who was an attorney, made a favorable impression on Rigby.

His mother soon brought Moxey and his younger brother Joe to Freeport where they attended public schools. Upon graduation from Freeport High School, Moxey was determined to become an attorney. The first law book he ever owned was given to him by Sidney Swezey, a Freeport lawyer, who served as Village President (Mayor) for the 1917-1918 term.

By becoming a waiter at the local Elks Club Rigby earned enough money to enroll in New York Law School. He continued to wait on tables at the Elks throughout his undergraduate years. Graduating from New York Law School in 1925, he was admitted to the bar that same year.

After a clerkship in the law offices of George H. Beaubian in Hempstead, he opened an office in South Jamaica, Queens. Nassau District Attorney Edward J. Neary appointed Moxey to his staff in 1941. Rigby served under several District Attorneys, including Edward J. Neary, James N. Gehrig, Frank A. Gulotta, and Manuel Levine. In 1959, he was appointed a District Court Judge. Judge Rigby was married to Myriam Brisbane in 1932. He was the proud father of two children; Moxey and Cynthia and grandfather of five. He suffered a stroke and died at his Freeport residence six weeks later on December 15, 1962. His last grandchild was born three hours before his death.

To honor Rigby's work in the community, the Village of Freeport renamed the Garden Court Apartments on Buffalo Avenue and East Merrick Road the "Moxey Rigby Apartments" in 1963.

Sources:
Freeport High School Alumni Directory: Volume II, 1914. Freeport, NY.
"People Mourn Judge M. Rigby" The Leader. 20 December 1962, p. 7.
"Rigby Housing Honors Name of Late Judge" The Leader. 7 March 1963, p. 1.