Former Natchez Police Chief J.T. Robinson, most remembered for his fairness during the civil rights era, died Monday.

Robinson led a full and meaningful life and had a lasting impact on Natchez, his wife, Donna, said.

Robinson, 81, was born in Natchez and after serving in World War II, he served as a police officer and chief criminal deputy sheriff before he was elected police chief from 1962 to 1982.

“His father was a policeman, and his brothers were almost all policeman,” Donna Robinson said. “When he told you something, he was serious.”

Robinson was the last elected Natchez police chief and served during a tumultuous time, his wife said.

“He kept Natchez from burning during the civil rights era,” she said. “He kept both sides from burning the city. Both black and white respected him.”

Former Natchez Mayor Tony Byrne echoed Donna Robinson’s thoughts.

“He was a good chief, and he did a tremendous job during the civil rights days,” Byrne said. “He kept a lid on Natchez when other places were blowing up. He knew members of the Klan and the NAACP. He was able to keep them apart and did a great job doing that.”

Byrne said one of the most memorable things about Robinson was his sense of humor.

“He was a close personal friend in addition to being chief,” he said. “He could have been a standup comedian. He had a lot of one-liners that were great. I think that’s what got him through the civil rights days.”

Robinson made an impression on young and old alike. Willie Huff, chief of the Mississippi Department of Transportation Office of Enforcement, said he was only a boy when Robinson was in office, but he remembered him vividly.

“When I was growing up, he was the kind of guy that the country kids had a lot of respect for,” Huff said. “He didn’t put up with any foolishness from the kids.”

When Huff became a Natchez police chief himself, he visited with Robinson on several occasions, he said.

“He was a very fair and compassionate man,” Huff said.

After Robinson retired, he and Donna moved to Jackson, where he worked as a capitol policeman until 2002.

Robinson’s visitation will be Wed. from 4 to 9 p.m., and his funeral will be at Laird’s Funeral Home at 2 p.m. Thursday.

“At his funeral, we’re not going to mourn him,” Donna Robinson said. “We’re going to celebrate his life.”