# James F. Grinstead

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**James Fontleroy Grinstead** (November 15, 1845 – November 13, 1921) was a businessman, mayor of [Louisville, Kentucky](/source/Louisville,_Kentucky) from 1907 to 1909, and county commissioner from 1917 to his death in 1921. He is a descendant of [William & Elizabeth Key Grinstead](/source/Elizabeth_Key_Grinstead)

## Business

Born in [Glasgow, Kentucky](/source/Glasgow,_Kentucky) in 1854,[1][2][3][4] Grinstead had a [common school](/source/Common_school) education in [Barren County, Kentucky](/source/Barren_County,_Kentucky) before moving to Louisville in 1866 to work in [wholesale](/source/Wholesale) [grocery](/source/Grocery) at Glazebrook & Grinstead, later known as W. E. Grinstead & Co.[1][5][6][4] He was a full partner in 1871 and worked in the company until 1891, when he left to found the wholesale company Grinstead & Tinsley in 1892,[1][5][4] In the same year, he married Annie W. Harwood.[5] which he headed until his retirement in 1910.[7][4]

## Public service

Grinstead became a well-known local businessman and was approached to run for [Mayor of Louisville](/source/Mayor_of_Louisville) in 1897, which he declined.[1][4] In 1901, he ran for mayor and won the [Republican](/source/Republican_Party_(United_States)) nomination.[1][4] After learning that his backer—Republican Party boss [Charles Sapp](/source/Charles_Sapp)—had used some questionable tactics to get votes for Grinstead, he declined the nomination,[1] earning the nickname "Honest Jim".[4] He became the first Republican mayor of Louisville to be elected by general voters when he became mayor in 1907[5] to complete the term started by [Paul C. Barth](/source/Paul_C._Barth),[7] whose 1905 election had been thrown out by the [Kentucky Court of Appeals](/source/Kentucky_Court_of_Appeals).[1][4] He ran for reelection in 1909, losing [1][5] to [Democrat](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)) [William O. Head](/source/William_O._Head).[4] Grinstead was elected county commissioner in 1917 and served until his death in 1921.[7]

## Legacy

Grinstead Drive, a prominent street running through Louisville's East End, was renamed in Grinstead's honor.[4] He was buried in [Cave Hill Cemetery](/source/Cave_Hill_Cemetery),[8][4] which Grinstead Drive runs alongside.

## References

1. ["Gibson - FRONTLINE - PBS"](https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/secret/famous/grinstead.html). *pbs.org*

1. University of Kentucky Libraries. ["Notable Kentucky African Americans -"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150224205110/http://nkaa.uky.edu/subject.php?sub_id=119). *uky.edu*. Archived from [the original](http://nkaa.uky.edu/subject.php?sub_id=119) on February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.

1. ["Death Comes to Former Mayor"](http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/SOUTH-CENTRAL-KENTUCKY/2012-08/1343915559). *Lexington Herald*. No. 318. November 14, 1921. p. 1.

1. Kleber, John E. (2015-01-13). [*The Encyclopedia of Louisville*](https://books.google.com/books?id=W7EeBgAAQBAJ&q=james+fontleroy+grinstead&pg=PA360). ISBN 9780813149745.

1. Polk Johnson, E. (1912). ["A History of Kentucky and Kentuckians"](https://books.google.com/books?id=sUoVAAAAYAAJ&q=James+F.+Grinstead&pg=PA627). *google.com*

1. ["Death Comes to Former Mayor"](http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/SOUTH-CENTRAL-KENTUCKY/2012-08/1343915559). *Lexington Herald*. No. 318. November 14, 1921. p. 1.

1. ["Death Comes to Former Mayor"](http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/SOUTH-CENTRAL-KENTUCKY/2012-08/1343915559). *Lexington Herald*. No. 318. November 14, 1921. p. 1.

1. Lawrence Kestenbaum. ["The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Grimke to Griswald"](http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/grimke-grissom.html#005.32.85). *politicalgraveyard.com*

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [James F. Grinstead](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_F._Grinstead) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_F._Grinstead?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.