James Gleason (1882 - 1959)

Actor. Born in New York City, he was a popular character performer for three decades appearing in over 150 films. After serving in World War I, he began performing on Broadway and made his film debut in “Count of Ten” (1928). In the 1930s, he played police Inspector Oscar Piper in a series of murder […]

James Goodwin Batterson (1823 - 1901)

Architect. He was head of the New England Granite Works in Hartford, Connecticut when the Civil War began. Because of his position as chairman of the State War Committee he chose not to serve in the Army but sought to be a construction consultant for the Union. With strong political support in the General Assembly, […]

James Gordon Bennett, Sr (1795 - 1872)

Journalist. He founded the “New York Herald” newspaper in 1835.  Family links:  Children:  James Gordon Bennett (1841 – 1918)*  Jeanette Gordon Bennett Bell (1855 – 1936)* *Calculated relationship

James Graham Ballard (1930 - 2009)

Author. He is best known for his novels “Crash” (1973) and “Empire of the Sun” (1984), both of which became motion picture adaptations. He was born James Graham Ballard in Shanghai, China into an English family. As a child he endured life while in an internment camp under Japanese occupation. These events were to become […]

James Grant Benton (1949 - 2002)

Actor. He appeared in the films, “Blue Crush” (2002), “Picture Bride” (1994), “Revealing Evidence: Stalking The Honolulu Strangler” (1990), and “Miracle Landing” (1990). He also made several guest appearances on “Byrds Of Paradise,” “Baywatch,” “The Jeffersons,” and “Magnum, P.I.,” from 1980 to 1988, as ‘Kika’ and in several other roles. (bio by: K)

James Gregory (1911 - 2002)

James Gregory (December 23, 1911 – September 16, 2002) was an American character actor noted for his deep, gravelly voice and playing brash roles such as the McCarthy-like Senator John Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate (1962), the audacious General Ursus in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, and loudmouthed Inspector Frank Luger in Barney Miller […]

James Griffith (1916 - 1993)

James Griffith Born in Los Angeles, Griffith aspired to be a musician rather than an actor. Instead, he managed to find work in little theatres around Los Angeles, where the budding musician eased into a dual career of acting. He found success in the production They Can’t Get You Down in 1939, but put his […]

James Grout (1927 - 2012)

Actor. Born in London, the son of a shoe shop chain proprietor, his father died while serving in World War II. He was encouraged to participate in the theater by an English grammar school teacher and later earned a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Following his national service with the Royal Air […]

James Grover Franciscus (1934 - 1991)

Actor. He is best remembered for his title roles in three television series:  Mr. Novak (1963-1965), Longstreet (1971-1972) and Hunter (1976-1977). Born in Clayton, Missouri, he was the son of John Allen and Loraine Grover Franciscus. When he was a young boy, his father, a pilot in World War II, was killed in action.  He […]

James H. Doyle (1872 - 1955)

Stage and screen actor.

James Hadley Chase (1906 - 1985)

Author. Born René Brabazon Raymond in London,  he was one of the most popular and prolific mystery writers of his time. During the Second World War he served as a pilot in the RAF, achieving the rank of Squadron Leader. Chase published some 80 books, of which more than twenty have been adapted into films. […]

James Hall (1900 - 1940)

Actor. Born in Dallas, Texas, Hall appeared in numerous silent and early sound films.  He is probably best remembered for his co-starring role in Howard Hughes’ World War I aviation saga,  “Hell’s Angels” (1930).  His other films include “Man Alone” (1923), “The Campus Flirt” (1926), “Stranded In Paris” (1926), “Hotel Imperial” (1927), “Love’s Greatest Mistake” […]

James Harper (1795 - 1869)

New York City Mayor, Businessman. Along with his brothers Joseph, Fletcher and John, he founded Harper and Brothers Publishing, which is today Harper Collins, the 5th largest publisher in the world. He served a single term as Mayor of New York City from 1844 to 1845.  Family links:  Children:  Philip Jacob Arcularius Harper (1824 – […]

James Harvey Ganong (1841 - 1888)

Businessman.  He was a co-founder, along with his brother Gilbert Ganong, of Ganong Brothers, Limited, the oldest candy company in Canada.  It was the first company to introduce a heart-shaped box of chocolates in North America, originally used for presents over the Christmas season before it became successful on Valentine’s Day.  The oldest of six […]

James Held (1970 - 1970)

Western Pioneer. Along with Nicklaus Schnieder, he was one of the two founders of Dutchtown, Missouri and the founders of the German Evangelical Church which is now a national landmark in Dutchtown. They settled the town in 1835 and founded the church the next year. At one time Dutchtown was a thriving little community, but […]

James Henry Binford (1832 - 1876)

Noted regional educator. A teacher and principal at private schools, Binford was unanimously elected superintendent of Richmond’s public school system in 1870, only one year after Richmond had established its first public schools. In 1871, Richmond’s schools formally became part of Virginia’s new public school system. An effective and innovative administrator, Binford sought to bring […]

James Hilton (1900 - 1954)

James Hilton was born in Leigh, Lancashire, England, James Hilton was the son of John Hilton, the headmaster of Chapel End School in Walthamstow. He was educated at The Leys School, Cambridge and then at Christ’s College, Cambridge, where he wrote his first novel, and was also awarded an honours degree in English literature. He wrote […]

James Hines (1876 - 1957)

Jimmy Hines was a powerful Tammany Hall political boss in New York City during the 1920’s and 1930’s. His close association with such organized crime bosses as Lucky Luciano and Dutch Schultz caused New York District attorney Thomas E. Dewey to prosecute Hines on corruption charges in the mid-1930’s. He was convicted in 1939 of […]

James Hodgson (1915 - 2012)

James Day Hodgson (December 3, 1915 – November 28, 2012) was an American politician. He served as the Secretary of Labor and the Ambassador to Japan. James Hodgson was born in Dawson, Minnesota, the son of Fred Arthur Hodgson, a lumberyard owner, and his wife, Casaraha M. (née Day). He graduated from the University of Minnesota […]

James Homer Elledge (1942 - 2001)

In 1965, Elledge robbed a Western Union office in Albuquerque, New Mexico. During this robbery, he also kidnapped a female attendant. He was sentenced to prison in Santa Fe, New Mexico and, after his parole, he wound up in Seattle, Washington, where he killed motel manager Bertha Lush in 1974 by beating her to death […]

James Hood (1942 - 2013)

James Alexander Hood (November 10, 1942 – January 17, 2013) was one of the first African Americans to enroll at the University of Alabama in 1963 and was made famous when Alabama Governor George Wallace blocked him from enrolling at the all-white university, an incident which became known as the “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door”. On […]

James Horner (1953 - 2015)

Horner was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1953 to Jewish immigrants. His father, Harry Horner, was born in Holíč, then a part of Austria-Hungary; he emigrated to the United States in 1935 and worked as a set designer and occasional art director. James’s mother, Joan Ruth (Frankel), was born into a prominent Canadian family. […]

James Howard Marshall (1905 - 1995)

Born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, J. Howard Marshall II attended George School, a private high school in Newtown, Pennsylvania, and then studied liberal arts at Haverford College, both Quaker institutions, graduating in 1926. While at George School and Haverford he edited the school newspapers, captained the debate teams and was an All American soccer player and […]

James Hunt (1947 - 1993)

James Hunt James Simon Wallis Hunt (29 August 1947 – 15 June 1993) was a British racing driver who won the Formula One World Championship in 1976. After retiring from racing in 1979, Hunt became a media commentator and businessman.  Beginning his racing career in touring car racing, Hunt progressed into Formula Three where he […]

James Hutton (1726 - 1797)

James Hutton inherited from his father the Berwickshire farms of Slighhouses, a lowland farm which had been in the family since 1713, and the hill farm of Nether Monynut. In the early 1750s he moved to Slighhouses and set about making improvements, introducing farming practices from other parts of Britain and experimenting with plant and […]

James II of Scotland (1430 - 1460)

James I was assassinated on 21 February 1437. The Queen, although hurt, managed to get to her six-year-old son, who was now king. On 25 March 1437, the six-year-old was formally crowned King of Scots at Holyrood Abbey. The Parliament of Scotland revoked alienations of crown property and prohibited them, without the consent of the […]

James III of Scotland (1451 - 1488)

James was born to James II of Scotland and Mary of Guelders. His exact date and place of birth have been a matter of debate. Claims were made that he was born in May 1452, or 10 or 20 July 1451. The place of birth was either Stirling Castle or the Castle of St Andrews, […]

James Ingram (1952 - 2019)

James Ingram James Ingram, whose voice — technically precise, crisp and reserved, yet full of audacious feeling — made him one of the defining singers of R&B in the 1980s, has died. He was 66. The actress and choreographer Debbie Allen, a frequent collaborator with Mr. Ingram on musical theater projects, announced his death on Twitter on […]

James Iredell (1751 - 1799)

James Iredell was born in Lewes, England, the oldest of five surviving children of Francis Iredell, a Bristol merchant and his wife, the former Margaret MucCulloh of Ireland. The failure of his father’s business (and health) impelled James to immigrate to the Colonies in 1767 at the age of 17. Relatives assisted him in obtaining […]

James Irwin (1930 - 1991)

James Irwin was one of the 19 astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966. He served as a member of the astronaut support crew for Apollo 10, the first mission to carry the full Apollo stack to the Moon and the dry run for the first manned Moon landing. He then served as backup Lunar […]