James B. Ricks (December 23, 1852 – June 23, 1906) was an American jurist and politician.

Life and career

Christian County, Illinois Christian County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the population was 34,800. Its county seat is Taylorville. Christian County comprises the Taylorville, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also ...

, near

Taylorville, Illinois Taylorville is a city in and the county seat of Christian County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,506 at the 2020 census, making it the county's largest city. History Taylorville was founded on May 24, 1839, and was named after J ...

, Ricks went to

Illinois Wesleyan University Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockfor ...

1869 to 1872 and then studied law. In 1874, Ricks was admitted to the Illinois bar. He then practiced law and was involved in the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. Ricks was master in chancery for

Christian County Christian County is the name of several counties in the United States: * Christian County, Illinois * Christian County, Kentucky * Christian County, Missouri Christian County is located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Missouri. ...

. In 1899, Ricks served as mayor of Taylorville. From 1901 until his death in 1906, Ricks served on the

Illinois Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court, the highest court of the State of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five ap ...

. Ricks died of stomach cancer at his home in Taylorville, Illinois.'Justice James B. Ricks Succumbs to Cancer,' Carbondale Daily Free Press (Illinois), vol. 8, no. 236, June 24, 1906

Notes

1852 births 1906 deaths Illinois Wesleyan University alumni Illinois Democrats Illinois lawyers Mayors of places in Illinois Illinois state court judges Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court People from Taylorville, Illinois Deaths from cancer in Illinois 19th-century American judges Chief Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court {{Illinois-politician-stub