James Hodges (August 11, 1822 – February 15, 1895) was an American politician and businessman. He served as

Mayor of Baltimore The mayor of Baltimore is the head of the executive branch of the government of the City of Baltimore, Maryland. The Mayor has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills, ordinances, or resolutions passed by the ...

from 1885 to 1887.

Early life

James Hodges was born on August 11, 1822, at Liberty Hall in

Kent County, Maryland Kent County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, its population was 19,198, making it the least populous county in Maryland. Its county seat is Chestertown. The county was named for the county of Kent in En ...

to Mary Hanson (née Ringgold) and James Hodges Sr. Hodges was descended from many settlers of Kent County. William Hodges, Hodges's ancestor, came to Maryland from Virginia around 1665 and settled on a tract of land between Gray's Inn Creek and the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...

named Liberty Hall. Hodges's father was a farmer and represented Kent County in the Maryland legislature in 1823 and 1824. His father died in 1832.

Career

Hodges moved to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

and entered a commercial house. In 1846, Hodges and his brother started the firm ''Hodges Brothers'', an importing business. Hodges became a member of the Board of Trade and attended the 1868 Philadelphia convention of the National Board of Trade. He was the author of a proposition for the government to start a Department of Commerce. He was the president of the Mercantile Library Association for several years. In 1873, Hodges consented to be nominated for the

, but withdrew. On May 4, 1877, Hodges was elected Commissioner of Finance in Baltimore by the

Baltimore City Council The Baltimore City Council is the legislative branch that governs the City of Baltimore and its more than 600,000 citizens. It has 14 members elected by district and a president elected at-large; all serve four-year terms. The Council holds reg ...

, but resigned after a short time. In 1878, Hodges was nominated by President

Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governor ...

to represent Maryland as an honorary commissioner at the Paris Exposition and was chosen by the Board of Trade of Baltimore to serve as a delegate at the France-American Commercial Treaty Conference. In 1885, Hodges ran as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

for the

, defeating Judge

George William Brown George William Brown (October 13, 1812 – September 8, 1890) was an American politician, judge and academic. He was mayor of Baltimore from 1860 to 1861, professor in University of Maryland School of Law, and 2nd Chief Judge and Supreme Bench of ...

. He actively campaigned against the

Know Nothing The Know Nothing party was a nativist political party and movement in the United States in the mid-1850s. The party was officially known as the "Native American Party" prior to 1855 and thereafter, it was simply known as the "American Party". ...

party and was an advocate for Sunday street car service in Baltimore. He served as mayor from November 2, 1885 to November 7, 1887. During his administration, several civil works projects began including improvements to

Jones Falls The Jones Falls is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 stream in Maryland. It is impounded to create Lake Roland before running through the city of Baltim ...

, a new observatory at Federal Hill, and a one million dollar loan for Lake Clifton. A decimal system for numbering houses was instituted in Baltimore during his administration.

Personal life

Hodges married Josephine A. Bash on November 30, 1847. They had four children: Mary Ella, Ida Virginia, Lily Hanson and William Ringgold. Hodges died on February 15, 1895, at his home in Baltimore.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hodges, James 1822 births 1895 deaths People from Kent County, Maryland Mayors of Baltimore Maryland Democrats