James Gaven Field (February 24, 1826 – October 12, 1901) was an American politician in California and Virginia, who was also a businessman, government clerk, and Confederate major. He became the
Attorney General of Virginia
The attorney general of Virginia is an elected constitutional position that holds an executive office in the government of Virginia. Attorneys general are elected for a four-year term in the year following a presidential election. There are no ter ...
and the vice presidential nominee of the
Populist Party during the
1892 presidential election
The following elections occurred in the year 1892.
{{TOC right
Asia Japan
* 1892 Japanese general election
Europe Denmark
* 1892 Danish Folketing election
Portugal
* 1892 Portuguese legislative election
United Kingdom
* 1892 Chelmsford by-el ...
.
Early and family life
James Gaven Field was born in Walnut,
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 Judge Lewis Yancy Field and Maria Duncan. After attending a private classical school, he became a merchant in the former lands of Lord Fairfax and taught school.
On June 20, 1854, he married Frances E. Cowherd, two years his junior and they remained married until her death in April 1877. They had at least four children: William Field, Mard Field, James G. Field Jr and Maxy Field On February 2, 1882, married Elizabeth R. Logwood.
Career
In 1848 Field accompanied Major Hill, a paymaster for the U.S. Army, to California as clerk. In addition to his federal government job, he became the secretary of the convention that framed the first constitution of the state of California in 1850.
In October 1850 Field returned to Virginia, where he studied law with his uncle, Judge Richard H. Field, and was admitted to the bar in 1852. In 1859 he was elected commonwealth attorney (prosecutor) for
Culpeper County
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 ...
. In the 1860 federal census, Field owned six enslaved people—a 70 year old black man, 18 year old Black girl, two 12-year-old girls and two boys aged 9 and 14 years old.
On April 17, 1861, Field resigned as commonwealth attorney and volunteered with Culpeper county's minute men. He enlisted as a private and became an officer of
Virginia's 13th Infantry. He fought at the
Battle of Harpers Ferry
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Battle of Harpers Ferry
, partof = the American Civil War
, image = NWDNS-165-SB-26 Harpers Ferry Virginia.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = Harpers ...
. Promoted to the rank of major on March 23, 1861, Field served on the staff of General
A. P. Hill
Ambrose Powell Hill Jr. (November 9, 1825April 2, 1865) was a Confederate general who was killed in the American Civil War. He is usually referred to as A. P. Hill to differentiate him from another, unrelated Confederate general, Daniel Harvey Hi ...
. At the
Battle of Cold Harbor
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...
he was wounded and later lost a leg at the
Battle of Cedar Creek
The Battle of Cedar Creek, or Battle of Belle Grove, was fought on October 19, 1864, during the American Civil War. The fighting took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Northern Virginia, near Cedar Creek, Middletown, and the Valley Pike. Du ...
on August 9, 1862. After recovering from that wound in May 1863, Field continued his Confederate service as paymaster until April 9, 1865.
Following the Civil War he joined the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
. He became
Attorney General of Virginia
The attorney general of Virginia is an elected constitutional position that holds an executive office in the government of Virginia. Attorneys general are elected for a four-year term in the year following a presidential election. There are no ter ...
in 1877. In 1879 Field argued Ex Parte Virginia before the U.S. Supreme Court, however he failed to convince the justices that Congress lacked authority to require blacks on trial juries.
Field retired to a farm in
Albemarle County, Virginia
Albemarle County is a county located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, which is an independent city and enclave entirely surrounded by the county. Albemarle County is part of the Char ...
, but remained active in politics.
During the 1892 presidential election he was nominated as the People's Party vice presidential candidate on the first ballot on July 5 alongside
James B. Weaver as the presidential nominee. Field campaigned in the southern and border states and in support of the party's radical reform platform. At a mid-July speech in Gordonsville, in Orange County, he compared the revolutionary impulse of Populism with the American Revolution of 1776 and advised his audience to "Read your Bibles Sunday and the
Omaha platform
The Omaha Platform was the party program adopted at the formative convention of the Populist (or People's) Party held in Omaha, Nebraska on July 4, 1892. Origin
The platform preamble was written by Ignatius L. Donnelly. The Omaha platform was s ...
every day in the week." The ticket won five states and received over one million votes. In 1893 he advocated for the impeachment of President
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...
and later supported
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running ...
in
1896
Events
January–March
* January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers.
* January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state.
* January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that Wil ...
and
1900
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...
.
Death and legacy
Field died in
Gordonsville, Virginia
Gordonsville is a town in Orange County, Virginia, Orange County in the U.S. state, Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Located about 19 miles northeast of Charlottesville, Virginia, Charlottesville and 65 miles northwest of Richmond, V ...
, either on May 18, 1902
[ancestry.com citing Virginia Regimental History Series but libraries closed] or October 12, 1901. He is buried in the Culpeper city cemetery.
References
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Field, James G.
1826 births
1901 deaths
American amputees
American politicians with disabilities
Confederate States Army officers
People from Culpeper County, Virginia
People from Gordonsville, Virginia
People of Virginia in the American Civil War
1892 United States vice-presidential candidates
Virginia Attorneys General
Virginia lawyers
Virginia Populists