James Family

Henry and Eliza (Wills) James of Richmond, Virginia, had three sons who became prominent in Texas history as educators, soldiers, lawyers, and bankers. These were Charles Albert James (1841-1875), John Garland James (1844-1930), and Fleming Wills James (1847-1918).

John and Fleming were students and later graduates of the Virginia Military Institute while Charles attended the University of Virginia. John and Fleming were with the cadet battalion that fought at the Battle of New Market on May 15, 1864 and all three brothers fought for the Confederate Army during the Civil War.

R.P.T. Allen organized the Texas Military Institute at Bastrop, Texas, in 1858 and John James became its president in 1868. He moved the institute to Austin in 1870 where it remained until its demise in 1879. He became the second president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (later Texas A&M) in November 1879, a position he held until 1883. By 1884, John was president of the Panhandle National Bank. He died in Dallas in 1930 and is buried in the Oakwood Cemetery at Austin, Texas.

Fleming was the commandant of cadets and taught engineering and military tactics at the Texas Military Institute. He was a founder of the Texas Volunteer Guard. Governor Oran Milo Roberts appointed him to Major General on April 6, 1880, and gave him command of this organization. Fleming was a lawyer and a judge. He eventually moved to Abilene, Texas, where he was prominent as a banker and financier until his death in 1918. Fleming had also been a poet during his younger years. His greatest effort in this field was a long poem on the death of General Albert Sidney Johnston, written in 1864. Some of his works have been published.

Charles taught modern languages at the Texas Military Institute and also practiced law. He contracted tuberculosis in a northern prison camp during the Civil War and one of the reasons he came to Texas was for his health. He traveled extensively in Mexico during the years 1871-1872 and kept a diary of his experiences. He died of tuberculosis in 1875 at the age of 34.

The Texas Military building, known as the Texas Military Institute Castle, still stands near 11th and Blanco Streets in Austin.

Sources:

Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. James, Fleming Wills, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/JJ/fja37.html (accessed June 8, 2010).

Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. James, John Garland, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/JJ/fja18.html (accessed June 8, 2010).

Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. Texas Military Institute, Austin, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/TT/kbt17.html (accessed July 9, 2010).

From the guide to the James Family Papers 71-133; 85-097., 1865-1927, (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin)