Leslie, James W.

The Leslie Family Papers contains the personal and business records of six family generations. The bulk of the collection consists of the papers of James W. "Jim" Leslie (1913- ). His papers include personal and professional correspondence, financial records, and historical writings and research. Leslie, a Pine Bluff writer/historian and retired businessman, extensively documented the history of Southeast Arkansas, from its territorial days to the present. Born in Warren, he attended Monticello A & M (University of Arkansas at Monticello) and finished his formal schooling at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, with bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration. After graduate school, he worked for Firestone and then enlisted in the U.S. Army in July 1941. After completing his military service, he came back to Pine Bluff and opened his own business as a merchandise broker. In 1968 he sold his brokerage business and became a historical researcher and writer. Leslie authored three books on Pine Bluff and Southeast Arkansas history: Saracen's Country (1974), Land of Cypress and Pine (1976), and Pine Bluff and Jefferson County: A Pictorial History (1981). In addition, he wrote hundreds of articles that appeared in newspapers (Pine Bluff Commercial and Pine Bluff News), magazines, and historical publications (Arkansas Historical Quarterly and Jefferson County Historical Quarterly in particular). Leslie promoted the preservation of Pine Bluff's past, initiating nominations for the National Register of Historic Places and helping to found the Heckatoo Heritage Foundation. Because of his tremendous knowledge of Arkansas history, Leslie was appointed to the state Sesquicentennial Celebration Commission in 1986. He married Gerry Synder in 1946. They have two children, Lewis and James, Jr.