James Wallace Borden (February 5, 1810 – April 25, 1882) was an American jurist in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

and diplomat.

Life

James Wallace Borden was born near

Beaufort, North Carolina Beaufort ( ) is a town in and the county seat of Carteret County, North Carolina, Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. Established in 1713 and incorporated in 1723, Beaufort is the fourth oldest town in North Carolina (after Bath, Nor ...

on February 5, 1810. His father was Joseph Borden (1769–1825) and mother Esther Wallace (1771–1853). He was educated at Fairfeld Academy in

Herkimer, New York Herkimer is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States, southeast of Utica. It is named after Nicholas Herkimer. The population was 10,175 at the 2010 census. The town contains a village also called Herkimer. Herkimer County Community ...

and at

Windsor, Connecticut Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, and was the first English settlement in the state. It lies on the northern border of Connecticut's capital, Hartford. The population of Windsor was 29,492 at the 2020 census. Po ...

. He read for and passed his bar exam in 1831. In 1835 he moved to

Richmond, Indiana Richmond is a city in eastern Wayne County, Indiana. Bordering the state of Ohio, it is the county seat of Wayne County and is part of the Dayton, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 36,812. Situa ...

, and in 1839 to Fort Wayne, Indiana. He ran the federal land office in Fort Wayne and was elected as judge of the 12th district of Indianain 1841. In 1850 he was a member of the Indiana state constitutional convention. He 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 US Congress House of Representatives in 1851 but lost the general election. In 1852 he was elected again as judge. Borden was appointed U.S. Commissioner to the

Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the independent island ...

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician who served as the 15th president of the United States from 1857 to 1861. He previously served as secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and repr ...

on January 11, 1858. He presented his credentials on May 21, 1858, to King

Kamehameha IV Kamehameha IV (Alekanetero ʻIolani Kalanikualiholiho Maka o ʻIouli Kūnuiākea o Kūkāʻilimoku; anglicized as Alexander Liholiho) (February 9, 1834 – November 30, 1863), reigned as the fourth monarch of Hawaii under the title ''Ke Aliʻi ...

. The king made a welcoming speech, but the situation was a tense peace between Scottish-born Hawaii foreign minister Robert Crichton Wyllie and US Secretary of State

Lewis Cass Lewis Cass (October 9, 1782June 17, 1866) was an American military officer, politician, and statesman. He represented Michigan in the United States Senate and served in the Cabinets of two U.S. Presidents, Andrew Jackson and James Buchanan. He w ...

. There was a minor territorial dispute over the remote

Johnston Atoll Johnston Atoll is an Unincorporated territories of the United States, unincorporated territory of the United States, currently administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Johnston Atoll is a National Wildlife Refuge and ...

. A highlight was the visit on March 5, 1860 of the which included Japanese ambassadors on a visit to the United States. President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

appointed

Thomas J. Dryer Thomas Jefferson Dryer (January 8, 1808 – March 30, 1879) was a newspaper publisher and politician in the Western United States. A member of the Oregon Territorial Legislature in 1857, Dryer is best remembered as the founder of ''The Oregonian, ...

to be the new Commissioner to Hawaii, and Borden was recalled on June 8, 1861. Borden took a tour of Asia and Europe before returning to Indiana. he was elected again as judge in 1864 and 1867 moved to the criminal court, and held that post until his death. He died in 1882. He was buried in Lindenwood Cemetery in Fort Wayne. He married Emeline Griswold in 1832 had seven children, and after her death married Jane Conklin on August 15, 1848, having one additional son, David Henry Borden in May 1863. His brother, physician Joseph Borden (1806–1875) and his family moved to California and named the town of

Borden, California Borden (formerly, Alabama Settlement and Arcola) is an unincorporated community in Madera County, California. It is located on the Southern Pacific Railroad southeast of Madera, at an elevation of 272 feet (83 m). The first settlers came from ...

. His son George Pennington Borden (1844–1925) enlisted in 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 ...

, graduated from 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 ...

in 1864, and retired as a brigadier general in 1907. He was buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borden, James W. 1810 births 1882 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to Hawaii Indiana Democrats People from Fort Wayne, Indiana People from Beaufort, North Carolina