James French Strother (September 4, 1811 – September 20, 1860) was a nineteenth-century

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bic ...

and lawyer from a noted

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

political family of lawyers, military officers and judges. He was the grandson of

French Strother eorgeFrench Strother (1730 July 3, 1800) was an eighteenth-century planter, politician, lawyer and judge in Virginia, nicknamed "the Fearless" for his fiery rhetoric during debates in the American Revolutionary War. Early life Born in King G ...

who served in the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

and both houses of the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 161 ...

, son of Congressman

George Strother George French Strother (1783November 28, 1840) was a nineteenth-century politician, lawyer and slaveowner in Virginia and Missouri. Early life and education Born in Stevensburg, Virginia, to prominent Culpeper County attorney French Strother ...

and grandfather of Congressman

James F. Strother (West Virginia politician) James French Strother (June 29, 1868 – April 10, 1930) was the grandson of Congressman James French Strother (1811-1860) of Virginia and great-grandson of Congressman George French Strother, also of Virginia. Strother was a lawyer, judge, an ...

Early and family life

Born in

Culpeper County, Virginia Culpeper County is a county located along the borderlands of the northern and central region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 52,552. Its county seat and only incorporated community is Culp ...

to lawyer George F. Strother and his wife, the former Sarah Green Williams, Strother's ancestors were of the

First Families of Virginia First Families of Virginia (FFV) were those families in Colonial Virginia who were socially prominent and wealthy, but not necessarily the earliest settlers. They descended from English colonists who primarily settled at Jamestown, Williamsburg ...

. His grandfather

had served in the

then represented Culpeper County for decades in both houses of the

. His father had served in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

and the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

before moving to Missouri with his family and slaves after voting for the

Missouri Compromise of 1820 The Missouri Compromise was a federal legislation of the United States that balanced desires of northern states to prevent expansion of slavery in the country with those of southern states to expand it. It admitted Missouri as a slave state and ...

. Thus, James F. Strother received a private education in Virginia and Missouri, and attended

St. Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...

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

before reading law. He married Elizabeth Richardson, who would bear seven sons and a daughter who survived to adulthood: George French Strother (1834-1877), John R. Strother (1837-after 1850), Lt. and Judge Philip Williams Strother (1839-1922), Judge James French Strother (1841-1927), Sgt. William Henry Strother (1843-1862), John Hunt Strother (1845-1862), Dr. William Johnson Strother (1849-1942), Maj. Lewis Harvie Strother (1855-1908), and Sarah Williams Strother (1854-1932).

Career

Strother returned to Virginia and was admitted to the bar, as had generations of family members before him. Strother began his legal practice in

Washington, Virginia The town of Washington, Virginia, is a historic village located in the eastern foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park. The entire town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district, Wa ...

Rappahannock County Rappahannock County is a county located in the northern Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, US, adjacent to Shenandoah National Park. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 7,348. Its county seat is Washington. The name "Rappaha ...

on the eastern slopes of the

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States, and extends 550 miles southwest from southern Pennsylvania through Maryland, West Virgin ...

. As Strother's wealth grew, directly and by inheritance, he may have invested in land and enslaved labor. In 1840, he owned 4 slaves, in addition to his household of 7 white people (5 of them children), However, he does not show in slave schedules for Rappahannock County in 1850 nor 1860, and Virginia state slave censuses are not available online. In 1840, Strother won election to the

where he represented

Rappahannock County, Virginia Rappahannock County is a county located in the northern Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, US, adjacent to Shenandoah National Park. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 7,348. Its county seat is Washington. The name "Rappaha ...

and won reelection many times, serving until 1851. When the Whig party gained control of the House of Delegates in 1847, he became Speaker of the House, but his party lost its majority in 1848 and remained the minority party the remainder of his life. Strother was also a delegate to the

Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850 The Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850 was an assembly of elected delegates chosen by the voters to write the fundamental law of Virginia. It is known as the Reform Convention because it liberalized Virginia political institutions. Backgro ...

(representing Fauquier and Rappahannock counties alongside fellow lawyer Robert E. Scott and

Samuel Chilton Samuel Chilton (September 7, 1804January 14, 1867) was a 19th-century politician and lawyer from Virginia. Biography Born in Warrenton, Virginia, Chilton moved to Missouri with his family as a child and attended private school there. He studi ...

). Voters of

Virginia's 9th congressional district Virginia's ninth congressional district is a United States congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia, covering much of the southwestern part of the state. The 9th is Virginia's second-largest district in area, covering 9,113.87 sq ...

nonetheless elected Strother as a Whig to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

in 1850. He defeated fellow Whig

Jeremiah Morton Jeremiah Morton (September 3, 1799 – November 28, 1878) was a nineteenth-century politician, lawyer, physician and architect from Virginia. He was a younger brother of Florida senator Jackson Morton. Early and family life Born in Frederic ...

and served from 1851 to 1853. However, Democrat (and future Virginia governor)

John Letcher John Letcher (March 29, 1813January 26, 1884) was an American lawyer, journalist, and politician. He served as a Representative in the United States Congress, was the 34th Governor of Virginia during the American Civil War, and later served in ...

foiled his re-election bid.

Death and legacy

Afterward, Strother resumed his legal practice in

Culpeper, Virginia Culpeper (formerly Culpeper Courthouse, earlier Fairfax) is an incorporated town in Culpeper County, Virginia, United States. The population was 20,062 at the 2020 census, up from 16,379 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Culpeper Coun ...

until his death near there on September 20, 1860. He was interred in Masonic Cemetery. Within a year, 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 ...

had begun destroying the area. His cousin

James E. Slaughter James Edwin Slaughter (June 1827 – January 1, 1901) was an American soldier who fought in the Mexican American War, and later defected to fight in the Confederate States Army, where he rose to the rank of Brigadier General. Early and family li ...

would become a Confederate Brigadier General, and some of his sons also volunteered to fight for the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

. Philip Williams Strother served as a lieutenant, William Henry Strother a sergeant and George F. Strother an assistant commissary officer—all survived the conflict. William Henry Strother died of disease in 1862. Union forces began controlling the Rappahannock/Rapidan area after the

Battle of Culpeper Court House The Battle of Culpeper Court House was an American Civil War skirmish fought September 13, 1863, near Culpeper, Virginia, between the cavalry of the Union Army of the Potomac and that of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. The Union vict ...

in September 1863, and what had been Strother's district would become devastated before Major General Robert E. Lee took his last survey from atop Clark Mountain on May 4, 1864.Eugene M. Scheel, Culpeper: a Virginia County's History through 1920 (Culpeper Historical Society1982) pp.70, 75 Nonetheless, the family (and its political tradition survived). His son Philip Williams Strother became a Virginia judge in Pearisburg, and his son (named James F. Strother after his grandfather) would become a lawyer and congressman from West Virginia. This James French Strother's son of the same name would become a Virginia Circuit judge in his native Rappahannock County.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strother, James F. 1811 births 1860 deaths Speakers of the Virginia House of Delegates Virginia lawyers Saint Louis University alumni People from Culpeper County, Virginia People from Washington, Virginia Strother family Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia 19th-century American politicians