James Barker Edmonds (May 20, 1832 – December 29, 1900) was president of the board of commissioners for the District of Columbia, United States, from 1883 to 1886. Edmonds was born in

Saratoga County, New York Saratoga County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, and is the fastest-growing county in Upstate New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the county's population was enumerated at 235,509, ...

. He began the study of the law early and was only 21 when he was admitted to the

New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

bar in 1853 and entered practice. Three years later, in 1856, Edmonds relocated to

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, then the capital of the state, where he opened a law partnership with Charles T. Ransom and grew the firm into one of the most prestigious and wealthy in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

. Edmonds successfully practiced law in Iowa for 19 years, but in 1875 his poor health force him to relocate to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, where he settled into a retirement from the legal practice but remained a sought-after consultant for other attorneys in the city. When former

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Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

Joseph Rodman West resigned from the D.C. Board of Commissioners in 1883,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was the 21st president of the United States, serving from 1881 to 1885. He was a Republican from New York who previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A. ...

nominated Edmonds to serve as the board's Democratic commissioner and he served as President of the commission. Edmonds served as president of the commission from March 3, 1883, to April 1, 1886, at which time both his presidency and his term as a commissioner expired. President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

offered him reappointment, but Edmonds turned it down. According to ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', "Mr. Edmonds was one of the most efficient and popular officials of those who have presided over the affairs of the district, and his refusal to accept a renomination for office was greatly regretted

Edmonds died at his home on K Street (Washington, D.C.), K Street in Washington on December 29, 1900, at the age of sixty-nine and was buried in

Rock Creek Cemetery Rock Creek Cemetery is an cemetery with a natural and rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE, in the Petworth (Washington, D.C.), Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., across ...

. James Barker Edmonds Elementary School in

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

was named in his honor in 1903. It closed in the 1970s and was occupied at various times by a credit union, the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, the Associates for Renewal in Education and a daycare center. In 2014 it became a condominium known as the Edmonds School.

Sources

http://www.rootsweb.com/~iabiog/iastbios/ih1885/ih1885-e.htm
- Contains Edmonds' obituary from ''The Washington Post''. 1832 births 1900 deaths 19th-century mayors of Washington, D.C. Members of the Board of Commissioners for the District of Columbia Washington, D.C., Republicans Washington, D.C., Democrats 19th-century Washington, D.C., politicians Burials at Rock Creek Cemetery {{WashingtonDC-politician-stub