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henry_f._james

Henry F. James

Henry Field James (1799-1870), was sworn in as a Justice of the Peace in December of 1832, and remained on the Court for many years. He became Sheriff in October 1850. He was the first Sheriff to serve under a County Judge, as the position was created that year by a Constitutional Convention.

James is noteworthy as Boone County’s first novelist. He was a slave-holder, and fervent anti-abolitionist. In 1850 he published a small booklet entitled: Abolitionism Unveiled! Hypocrisy Unmasked! and Knavery Scourged!, sub-titled: 'Luminously Portraying the Formal Hocusses, Whining Philanthropists, Moral Coquets, Practical Atheists, and the Hollow-hearted Swindlers of Labor, yclept the “northern abolitionists.”' (New York : T.V. Paterson, 1850). James later wrote a novel using his old title, Abolitionism Unveiled, in which he predicted the demise of slavery. It was published in 1856.

James eventually became the Agricultural Agent for Boone County, living at Burlington, and is buried near the Owen House on the Bullittsburg Road. James was the last of the Boone County Sheriffs who were commissioned by the Governor, before it became an elective office under the Commonwealth.

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henry_f._james.txt · Last modified: 2020/11/03 18:42 by 127.0.0.1