James Essex Elam (1829–1873) was Mayor of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, serving four terms between 1858 and his death in 1873.

Early life

Elam, the son of James M. Elam and Rebecca Chambers, was born in Baton Rouge on December 7, 1829. He attended Lagrange College in Kentucky (1846-1847) and graduated from Centenary College in

Jackson, Louisiana Jackson is a town in East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,842 at the 2010 U.S. census, down from 4,130 in 2000; the 2020 population estimates program determined Jackson had a population of 3,707. It is part of ...

, in 1850. Elam graduated from law school at the University of Louisiana (now Tulane University) in New Orleans. Elam then returned to Baton Rouge to practice law with his father. He married Mary E. Vanlandingham on April 20, 1860, and they had four sons and a daughter.

Political career

After practicing law with his father until his death in 1856, Elam ran for Mayor in 1858 and was elected at the age of 29. He served from 1858 - 1862. He was again elected mayor in 1865 and served until 1869. In 1870, he was again elected mayor as a

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and served until his death in 1873. In all, he served 4 terms as mayor.

Death and burial

Elam died on July 31, 1873, while serving his fourth non-consecutive term as Mayor of Baton Rouge. It was reported that "he enjoyed the respect of every individual in the community during his long public career"Dispatches: Hon. James E. Elam, ''New Orleans Times-Picayune'', August 1, 1873. He was interred in the family plot in the Magnolia Cemetery in Baton Rouge.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elam, James E. 1829 births 1873 deaths Centenary College of Louisiana alumni Tulane University Law School alumni LaGrange College alumni Mayors of Baton Rouge, Louisiana Louisiana Democrats 19th-century American politicians