Henry Clay James

Henry Clay “H. Clay” James (1869-1906) was a prominent attorney, judge, and active Democrat from Scott County. He suffered an untimely death in 1906 at the age of 37.

Biography

Born May 1, 1869, H. Clay James was a native of Virginia. Unfortunately, his early life is a complete mystery. It isn’t clear who his parents were; the only record of his background comes from his obituary in a Knoxville newspaper, which mentions that he was born in Wythe County, Va. While there were a number of James living in Wythe County in 1870, H. Clay James is not found in either the 1870 or the 1880 censuses.

The first mention of H. Clay James that is found in the public record is in 1890, when he was 20-years-old and attending Harvard University in Massachusetts.

There is an 1870 census entry for a Henry James, living in Memphis at that time, who was born in Virginia in 1869. However, his race was listed as black; Scott County’s H. Clay James was white.

He later moved to Tennessee and married Bettie Walker (1873-1944) of Cumberland County, the daughter of John Monroe Beaty Walker (1832-1910) and Mary Adeline Frost (1830-1911).

H. Clay and Bettie had four children: Virginia White Walker James (1895–1975), Mary Elizabeth James Cottrell (1899–1952), Charles Clay James (1901–1964), and Bettie James Sowell (1906–2003).

Professional Life

The first record of James living in Scott County was in 1895, when he was appointed postmaster of Huntsville Post Office.

James entered the law profession in Wartburg, employed by attorney Will H. Wright, who would later serve as district attorney general. He was admitted to the bar when he was in his mid 20s, and later entered a partnership with W.H. Potter in Huntsville. Potter served as a state prosecutor, was elected county judge, and was later elected to the state legislature.

In a county that was predominantly Republican, James was a prominent Democrat. His law partner, Potter, was a staunch Republican, and was elected to the state senate as a Republican.

James quickly became one of the most prominent attorneys in Scott County, and newspaper records from the early 1900s bear witness to the many cases he was involved in.

In 1905, the Tennessee General Assembly created a temporary circuit court in the state’s 2nd Judicial District — which Scott County was a part of — due to the large case load that was on the docket. Governor John I. Cox appointed James as the judge of the temporary court.

At the time of his death, the Journal & Tribune Newspaper in Knoxville, Tenn., noted: “As a judge he was quite able for a new man and a man of his experience as a lawyer. He was popular with member of the bar and had bright prospects in his profession when his career was cut short by death. As an attorney he was employed by a number of corporations in Scott County, representing the C., N. O. & T. P. railway and being general attorney for the Robinson interests. He was just reaching a point in life when he could accomplish most.”

Death

While holding court in Fentress County in August 1906, James fell ill. He battled the illness for several weeks before it became serious. He was diagnosed with Bright’s disease, a former of kidney disease. He died on Oct. 1, 1906, at age 37. He was buried at the Frost Cemetery in Crossville, Tenn. His wife and her parents are also buried at the cemetery.

Bettie Walker James and her children left Scott County after James’ death. Charles “Clay” James followed in his father’s footsteps as an attorney and a Democrat. He served on Knoxville city council in the 1940s and was a candidate for Congress in Tennessee’s 2nd Congressional District. He was single until near the time of his death, and shared a home with his sister, Virginia. He died of a heart attack in Knoxville in 1964.

H. Clay James’ last surviving child, Bettie James Sowell, died in 2003 and was buried at Frost Cemetery.