James Benjamin Sclater, Jr. (1847-1882) was a founder of

Pi Kappa Alpha Pi Kappa Alpha (), commonly known as PIKE, is a college fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1868. The fraternity has over 225 chapters and colonies across the United States and abroad with over 15,500 undergraduate members over 30 ...

Fraternity A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, "wiktionary:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal ...

Biography

Sclater was born in Orange County, Virginia, on July 19, 1847, the son of James Benjamin Sclater, Sr. and Harriet (Wharton) Sclater. Soon after his birth, his father moved to Richmond, where, for many years, he was in the general mercantile brokerage business. Sclater briefly attended the Cabell School in the

Virginia Piedmont The Piedmont region of Virginia is a part of the greater Piedmont physiographic region which stretches from the falls of the Potomac, Rappahannock, and James Rivers to the Blue Ridge Mountains. The region runs across the middle of the state from ...

and in March 1864 he entered the

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

when that institution had been moved from Lexington to Richmond, and where the cadets were in active war service in the defense of Richmond. In April 1865, Sclater was paroled from the Cadet Battalion by order of Union Army officers, after Lee's army had evacuated Richmond. Sclater entered the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

, where he remained for two years. Although he was later known to his friends as "Doc," he did not receive a degree in medicine at the University and never practiced that profession. He did, however, devote much of his time to his medical studies and is recorded as having done distinguished work. He lived in Room 47, which he shared with another Pi Kappa Alpha founder,

Robertson Howard Robertson Howard (1847–1899) was a doctor and attorney who is best known as one of the six co-founders of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. Early life Howard was born December 11, 1847 to Flodoardo R. Howard and Lydia Maria (Robertson) Howard, i ...

. For a time he engaged in the drug business in

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. He then settled in Richmond, and the directory of that city lists him as a clerk, presumably in his father's business, from 1870 until his death in 1882. During these years he was in declining health and his untimely death occurred at the age of 35. Sclater became the first of the founders of Pi Kappa Alpha to die. Although unmarried, he left behind a sweetheart who remained loyal to his memory through the years that followed. Sclater was survived by no close relatives other than his father who would die seven years after his son. Sclater lies in Hollywood Cemetery,

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, on a beautiful knoll overlooking the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...

. His grave was for a long time marked only by an ornamental urn placed there by his sweetheart.

References

*http://www.pka.org * 1847 births 1882 deaths University of Virginia alumni Burials at Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia) Pi Kappa Alpha founders People from Orange County, Virginia {{US-activist-stub