Hon. George Robert Ames, Jr. is a judge for the Dorchester County Orphans’ Court in Maryland. He joined the bench in 1994.
During his judicial tenure, Ames has served as a member of the Conference of Orphans’ Court Judges since 2016.
He received an A.A. in humanities and social science (1978) and law enforcement (1982) from Chesapeake College. Ames went on to complete an A.A. (2001), a B.A. (2003), and an M.A. (2011) in ministry from Christian World College of Theology.
He has worked as a newspaper carrier (1973 to 2000), a Dorchester County school bus contractor (1979 to 2000), and a pastor at Wesley Chapel Church (since 2004).
Ames also spent nine years as a commissioner for the Dorchester County District Court (1980 to 1989).
He is a past president of the Dorchester County Branch of the NAACP and the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce.
Ames also sat on the Board of Directors of the Chesapeake College Foundation, the Dorchester Center for the Arts, the Eastern Shore Center for Independent Living, and the Salvation Army of Cambridge. In addition, he was a member of the Dorchester County Heritage Tourism Council, the Dorchester County Board of Library Trustees, and the Governor’s Task Force on Eastern Shore Economic Development.
He was a former judge advocate, adjutant, and historian for the Cpl. Herman Hughes Post No. 87 (American Legion).
Ames received the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Achievement Award from the Tri-County Organizations Coalition (1987 & 2000), the Dorchester County School Bus Contractors Award (2000), the Iota Phi Lambda Sorority Award (Beta Epsilon Chapter), the Honoring Hometown Hero Award from the Delmarva Shorebirds (2006), the Associate of the Year Award from the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce (2007), and the Exceptional Leadership and Dedicated Services Award from the Ministers and Citizens for Change, Inc. (2012).
He was born in Westover, Maryland, and attended Somerset Junior-Senior High School in Princess Anne, Maryland.
Ames, a Democrat, is a married father of five.