James O. McDowell was born in West Virginia in 1876. He was educated at the Dunsmore Business College in Staunton, West Virginia, and read law at the West Virginia University Law School. Between 1903 and 1913, McDowell worked as a bookkeeper for two West Virginia petroleum companies, Star Coal and Coke Company, and Cranberry Fuel Company. He also worked briefly as an attorney in Beckley, West Virginia. McDowell moved to New Mexico in 1913 to improve his health.
In New Mexico, McDowell's first job was selling insurance for the Equitable Life Assurance Company in Albuquerque. Then, he resumed his bookkeeping career, joining the L.B. Putney Mercantile Company as an accountant in Albuquerque, between 1913 and 1917. In 1917, McDowell moved to Tyrone, New Mexico, to work as an accountant for the Phelps Dodge Co. He returned to Albuquerque in 1921, where he worked for the Diamond Coal Company until 1930. Throughout his life, McDowell also worked independently as a broker or salesman of oil and gas leases. This work continued up until his death, circa 1937.
From the guide to the James O. McDowell Papers, 1904-1937 (bulk, 1934-1937), (University of New Mexico. Center for Southwest Research.)
