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James Henry Mays

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American politician
James Henry Mays
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Utah's 2nd district
In office
March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1921
Preceded byJacob Johnson
Succeeded byElmer O. Leatherwood
Personal details
Born(1868-06-29)June 29, 1868
Morristown, Tennessee
DiedApril 19, 1926(1926-04-19) (aged 57)
Wendell, Idaho
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materUniversity of Michigan Law School
ProfessionLawyer

James Henry Mays (June 29, 1868 – April 19, 1926) was an American lawyer, businessman, and politician who served three terms as a U.S. Representative from Utah from 1915 to 1921.

Early life and education

Born in Morristown, Tennessee, Mays attended the district schools. He moved to Kansas in 1883 with his parents, who settled in Galena, Kansas. He worked in the mines and as a lumberman.

He attended the Kansas State Normal School. From 1893 to 1902 he was employed in the life insurance business in Chicago, Illinois, Dubuque, Iowa, and in Salt Lake City, Utah. He graduated from the law department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1895.

Career

He was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1896 and to Utah in 1902. Organized several industrial organizations.

Congress

Mays was elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-fourth, Sixty-fifth, and Sixty-sixth Congresses (March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1921).

He was not a candidate for reelection in 1920.

Retirement and death

He retired to his stock ranch near Wendell, Idaho, and died there on April 19, 1926. He was interred in Gooding Cemetery, Gooding, Idaho.

Legacy

His home near Wendell, built in 1920 and known as the James Henry and Ida Owen Mays House, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

Electoral history

1914 United States House of Representatives elections
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic James Henry Mays 25,617 47.49
Republican Elmer O. Leatherwood 25,459 47.20
Socialist A.H. Kempton 2,861 5.31
Total votes 53,937 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican
1916 United States House of Representatives elections
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic James Henry Mays (Incumbent) 39,847 56.87
Republican Charles R. Mabey 27,778 39.65
Socialist Murray E. King 2,440 3.48
Total votes 70,065 100.0
Democratic hold
1918 United States House of Representatives elections
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic James Henry Mays (Incumbent) 23,931 58.68
Republican William Spry 16,134 39.56
Socialist A.H. Kempton 719 1.76
Total votes 40,784 100.0
Democratic hold

Sources

References

  1. Salmon, Doris F. (1994), "Mays, James Henry", Utah History Encyclopedia, University of Utah Press, ISBN 9780874804256, archived from the original on August 1, 2024, retrieved September 15, 2024
  2. 1914 Election Results
  3. 1916 Election Results
  4. 1918 Election Results

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded byJacob Johnson Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Utah's 2nd congressional district
1915-1921 		Succeeded byElmer O. Leatherwood
Members of the United States House of Representatives from Utah
Territorial (1851–1895)
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Flag of Utah
One at-large seat (1895–1913)
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Two at-large seats (1913–1915)
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(3rd district established in 1983)
(4th district established in 2013)
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