William H. James

William Hartford James (October 5, 1831 – February 1, 1920) was a Republican Nebraska politician best known as the Acting Governor of Nebraska. He was also a member of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Board of Regents during his tenure as governor.

James was born at Marion, Ohio. He attended the public school and Marion Academy for two years^[1] and worked on the family farm. He began studying law on his own, and in 1853, James moved to Des Moines, Iowa and joined a law firm. He was admitted to the Iowa Bar Association in 1855 and moved to Sergeant Bluff to start his own legal practice. He married Louisa Epler and they had four children.^[2]

Career

In 1857 James moved to Nebraska and staked a homestead claim in Dakota County. He soon became active in local politics, serving as Justice of the Peace and County Attorney for Dakota County. In 1864 President Abraham Lincoln appointed James as register of the Dakota County Land Office. After serving as register of the Dakota County Land Office for five years, James then ran on the Republican ticket and was elected Secretary of State in 1870. In 1871, with the impeachment of Governor David Butler, James became Acting Governor of Nebraska until January 13, 1873.^[3] He was a member of the University of Nebraska board of regents from 1871 to 1873.^[4]

Death

After serving out his term as acting governor, James returned to his legal practice. In 1877 he was appointed register of the Colfax, Washington Land Office. He held that position until his death. He is interred in Colfax, Washington.^[5]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to William H. James.

• "The Political Graveyard". James, William Hartford. Retrieved January 3, 2006. 
• William H. James papers at the Nebraska State Historical Society
• The Encyclopedia of Nebraska
• World Trade Press
• National Governors Association

Governors of Nebraska
Territorial (1854–67)	Burt Cuming Izard Cuming Richardson Morton Black Morton Paddock Saunders
State (since 1867)	Butler James Furnas Garber Nance Dawes Thayer Boyd Crounse Holcomb Poynter Dietrich Savage Mickey Sheldon Shallenberger Aldrich Morehead Neville McKelvie Bryan McMullen Weaver Bryan Cochran Griswold Peterson Crosby Anderson Brooks Burney Morrison Tiemann Exon Thone Kerrey Orr Nelson Johanns Heineman Ricketts
Italics indicate acting governors