Starr, James Harper, 1809-1890

Banker, physician, land agent, and Texas public official.

James Harper Starr (1809-1890) was a banker, physician, land agent, public official, and railroad official. Starr, a practicing doctor, moved to the Nacogdoches area from Georgia in January 1837 and was selected by Sam Houston as president of the board of commissioners and receiver of land dues for Nacogdoches County. In 1839, President Mirabeau Lamar chose Starr to be secretary of the Treasury. Due to financial reasons, Starr resigned from the Treasury in 1840 and became a land agent for those who exchanged land for Republic of Texas debts. Additionally, he formed a land agency with Nathaniel C. Amory from 1844 until 1858, when Amory retired. An advocate for education, Starr also served as a member of the board of trustees of Nacogdoches College. In 1860, Starr opposed secession, but supported the Confederate state government anyway, like many other Texans. He held several public offices in the Confederacy, including assistant postmaster general of the Trans-Mississippi Department (1863-1865). His political and public career ended with the Civil War in 1865. In 1868, Starr and his son started a land and banking agency, one of the first banks in Texas. He retired to his home in Marshall in 1873. Following his retirement, Starr was offered an appointment as a regent of the University of Texas, but refused the offer due to his declining health. James Harper Starr died in Marshall on July 25, 1890.

Source: Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. “James Harper Starr,” http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/SS/fst22.html (accessed May 19, 2010).