William Francis James (May 23, 1873 – November 17, 1945) was a soldier and politician from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

Biography

James was born in Morristown, New Jersey, and moved with his parents to

Hancock, Michigan Hancock is a city in Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is across the Keweenaw Waterway from the city of Houghton on the Keweenaw Peninsula. The population was 4,634 at the 2010 census. The Weather Channel has consistently rank ...

, in 1876, where he attended the public schools. He attended

Albion College Albion College is a private liberal arts college in Albion, Michigan. The college was founded in 1835 and its undergraduate population was approximately 1,500 students in 2014. They participate in NCAA Division III and the Michigan Interco ...

Albion, Michigan Albion is a city in Calhoun County in the south central region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,616 at the 2010 census and is part of the Battle Creek Metropolitan Statistical Area. The earliest English ...

, in 1890 and 1891. James was treasurer of

Houghton County, Michigan Houghton County is a county in the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 37,361. The county seat and largest city is Houghton. Both the county and the city were named for Michigan State geolo ...

, 1900–1904, and engaged in the real estate and insurance business. He served as a private in Company F of the Thirty-fourth Regiment, Michigan Volunteer Infantry, during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

. He was a member of the board of aldermen of Hancock, 1906–1908, and was mayor of Hancock in 1908 and 1909. He was member of the Michigan Senate, 1910–1914. In 1914, James defeated incumbent

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

William J. MacDonald to be elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

from Michigan's 12th congressional district to the

64th United States Congress The 64th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1915, to M ...

. He was subsequently re-elected to the nine succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1915, to January 3, 1935. He was chairman of the United States House Committee on Military Affairs, Committee on Military Affairs in the 71st United States Congress, 71st Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1934 and 1936, losing both times to Democrat Frank E. Hook in the general election. James died in Arlington, Virginia, and was interred in Arlington National Cemetery.

References

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:James, William Francis 1873 births 1945 deaths County treasurers in Michigan People from Morristown, New Jersey Republican Party Michigan state senators Mayors of places in Michigan Michigan city council members United States Army soldiers Albion College alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan American military personnel of the Spanish–American War 20th-century American politicians