James Duncan Graham (April 1, 1799December 28, 1865) was an early member and founder of the

Corps of Topographical Engineers The U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers was a branch of the United States Army authorized on 4 July 1838. It consisted only of officers who were handpicked from West Point and was used for mapping and the design and construction of federal ...

who engaged in many topographical exercises. A topographical engineer, he directed the re-survey of the

Mason–Dixon line The Mason–Dixon line, also called the Mason and Dixon line or Mason's and Dixon's line, is a demarcation line separating four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia (part of Virginia ...

, and served on the boundary commissions between the United States and Canada and between the United States and Mexico. He also supervised harbor improvements on the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

, and documented the

lunar tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables can ...

there.

Early and personal life

James Duncan Graham was born on April 1, 1799 in

Prince William County, Virginia Prince William County is located on the Potomac River in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 482,204, making it Virginia's second-most populous county. Its county seat is the independent city of Manassas ...

, to parents William and Mary Campbell Graham. He attended the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

from June 19, 1813, to July 17, 1817, when he graduated, and was promoted to

third lieutenant Junior lieutenant is a junior officer rank in several countries, equivalent to Sub-lieutenant. Germany In the National People's Army, the rank of () was introduced in 1956. Eastern Europe In many Eastern European countries, the rank of junior l ...

in the artillery corps. He worked as an adjunct at the academy from October 12, 1817, to February 10, 1819, during which he was promoted to second lieutenant. In 1828, he married Charlotte Meade, the daughter of merchant Richard W. Meade and sister of Civil War general

George Meade George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 – November 6, 1872) was a United States Army officer and civil engineer best known for decisively defeating Confederate States Army, Confederate Full General (CSA), General Robert E. Lee at the Battle ...

. Their sons would serve in the military as well,

William Montrose Graham Jr. William Montrose Graham (September 28, 1834 – January 16, 1916) was a career soldier in the United States Army, reaching the rank of major general. He was a veteran of both the American Civil War and the Spanish–American War. Biography Gr ...

eventually becoming a Major General and James D. Graham Jr. a Commander in the U.S. Navy. He married twice, to Charlotte Meade and after her death, to Frances Wickham.

Early career (1819–1850)

Graham was on

Stephen Harriman Long Stephen Harriman Long (December 30, 1784 – September 4, 1864) was an American army civil engineer, explorer, and inventor. As an inventor, he is noted for his developments in the design of steam locomotives. He was also one of the most pro ...

's exploration of areas acquired in the

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or app ...

, from 1819 to 1821. He was on topographical duty from January 14, 1822, to January 15, 1829; and then on surveys in

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

during 1829. Graham then worked on railroad surveys on the

Winchester and Potomac Railroad The Winchester and Potomac Railroad (W&P) was a railroad in the southern United States, which ran from Winchester, Virginia, to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia (Virginia until 1863), on the Potomac River, at a junction with the Baltimore and Ohio Rail ...

in Virginia in 1831 and 1832, and later in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia from 1836 until 1837. During the

Second Seminole War The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans and ...

, Graham served under Major General

Thomas Jesup Thomas Sidney Jesup (December 16, 1788 – June 10, 1860) was a United States Army officer known as the "Father of the Modern Quartermaster Corps". His 52-year (1808–1860) military career was one of the longest in the history of the United St ...

, who commanded American troops in Florida.Brigadier General Jesup, father of the Quartermaster Corps
, US Quartermaster Foundation Graham then was involved in reconnaissance and surveys for military defenses in

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

during 1838. He served on a Court of Inquiry at

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, in 1838–1839. He was on tour of inspection of harbor improvements on Lakes Ontario and Champlain in 1839. Graham was astronomer for the United States, working for the joint demarcation of the boundary between the United States and the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from Mex ...

, in 1839–1840. He served as commissioner for the Survey and Exploration of the Northeast Boundary of the United States from 1840 to 1843. In 1840, he was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

. Graham next was head of the Scientific Corps and principal astronomer for the joint demarcation of the boundary between the United States and Canada, under the Treaty of Washington, from 1843 until 1847. That year, he was made a brevet

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

, for "Valuable and Highly Distinguished Services, particularly on the Boundary Line between the United States and the Provinces of Canada and New Brunswick". He worked on remaking maps of the

Webster–Ashburton Treaty The Webster–Ashburton Treaty, signed August 9, 1842, was a treaty that resolved several border issues between the United States and the British North American colonies (the region that became Canada). Signed under John Tyler's presidency, it ...

, that had been destroyed by fire, from 1848 to 1850, and 1852 to 1853.

Later career (1850–1865)

Graham was on the survey of the

, from 1849 to 1850. During 1850 and 1851, he was the principal astronomer and head of the Scientific Corps for the joint demarcation of the boundary between the United States and Mexico, under the

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ( es, Tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo), officially the Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Limits, and Settlement between the United States of America and the United Mexican States, is the peace treaty that was signed on 2 ...

. He was then general supervisor of the harbor improvements on

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

, from April 20, 1854, to December 11, 1856, and of the channel improvement on the St. Clair Flats, from April 25, 1854 to September 1856. Graham was next superintending engineer of the harbor improvements on the North and

Northwestern Lake Condit Hydroelectric Project was a development on the White Salmon River in the U.S. state of Washington. It was completed in 1913 to provide electrical power for local industry, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as an en ...

s, December 11, 1856, to April 20, 1864, in which he documented the existence of a

in around 1859. Graham served during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

as superintendent of the

United States Lake Survey The United States Lake Survey (USLS) was a hydrographic survey for the Great Lakes, New York Barge Canal, Lake Champlain and the Boundary Waters of the Canada–United States border between Minnesota and Ontario. The Survey's activities began on ...

, from August 30, 1861, to April 20, 1864; then as lighthouse engineer of the 10th and 11th Districts (comprising the Northern Lakes, except Champlain), the 10th District from August 30, 1861, to April 20, 1864, and the 11th District from August 30, 1861, to March 1863. His loyalty to the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

was questioned in 1864, and Graham was briefly under investigation and removed from his post. Graham served as superintending engineer of sea-walls in

Boston harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeastern United States. History Since ...

, and in charge of preservation and repairs of harbor works on the Atlantic Coast from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

to the

Chesapeake Chesapeake often refers to: *Chesapeake people, a Native American tribe also known as the Chesepian * The Chesapeake, a.k.a. Chesapeake Bay *Delmarva Peninsula, also known as the Chesapeake Peninsula Chesapeake may also refer to: Populated plac ...

from August 1, 1864, to December 28, 1865. He died in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

on December 28, 1865, and is buried in

Congressional Cemetery The Congressional Cemetery, officially Washington Parish Burial Ground, is a historic and active cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the only American "cemetery of national m ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Legacy

James Duncan Graham is commemorated in the scientific names of three species of reptiles: ''

Anolis grahami ''Anolis grahami'', commonly known as the Jamaican turquoise anole or the Graham’s anole, is a species of lizard native to the island of Jamaica, and has now also been introduced to the territory of Bermuda. It is one of many different species ...

'', '' Regina grahamii'', and '' Salvadora grahamiae''. ''

is'' a lizard species native to the territory of

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

that is named after him, and the it is notable in its vocalization and ability to change color. He is the namesake of

Mount Graham Mount Graham (called in Nnee biyati' (Western Apache) Dził Nchaa Sí'an - ′Big Seated Mountain′) is a mountain in Graham County, Arizona, United States, approximately northeast of Tucson. The mountain reaches in height. It is the highes ...

, and

Graham County, Arizona Graham County is a county in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,533, making it the third-least populous county in Arizona. The county seat is Safford. Graham County composes the ...

is named after the mountain.

Dates of Rank

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, James Duncan 1799 births 1865 deaths American topographers United States Military Academy alumni United States Army Corps of Topographical Engineers United States Army officers Union Army colonels