# James Henry Mays > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/James_Henry_Mays > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/James_Henry_Mays.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Henry_Mays > Source revision: 1354652795 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 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 by Jacob Johnson Succeeded by Elmer O. Leatherwood Personal details Born (1868-06-29)June 29, 1868 Morristown, Tennessee Died April 19, 1926(1926-04-19) (aged 57) Wendell, Idaho Party Democratic Alma mater University of Michigan Law School Profession Lawyer **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](/source/United_States_House_of_Representatives) from [Utah](/source/Utah) from 1915 to 1921. ## Early life and education Born in [Morristown, Tennessee](/source/Morristown%2C_Tennessee),[1] Mays attended the district schools. He moved to Kansas in 1883 with his parents, who settled in [Galena, Kansas](/source/Galena%2C_Kansas). He worked in the mines and as a lumberman. He attended the [Kansas State Normal School](/source/Kansas_State_Normal_School). From 1893 to 1902 he was employed in the life insurance business in [Chicago, Illinois](/source/Chicago%2C_Illinois), [Dubuque, Iowa](/source/Dubuque%2C_Iowa), and in Salt Lake City, Utah. He graduated from the law department of the [University of Michigan at Ann Arbor](/source/University_of_Michigan_at_Ann_Arbor) in 1895. ## Career He was [admitted to the bar](/source/Admission_to_the_bar_in_the_United_States) and commenced practice in [Ann Arbor, Michigan](/source/Ann_Arbor%2C_Michigan). He moved to [Indianapolis, Indiana](/source/Indianapolis%2C_Indiana), in 1896 and to Utah in 1902. Organized several industrial organizations. ### Congress Mays was elected as a [Democrat](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)) to the [Sixty-fourth](/source/64th_United_States_Congress), [Sixty-fifth](/source/65th_United_States_Congress), and [Sixty-sixth](/source/66th_United_States_Congress) 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](/source/Wendell%2C_Idaho), and died there on April 19, 1926. He was interred in Gooding Cemetery, [Gooding, Idaho](/source/Gooding%2C_Idaho). ## Legacy His home near Wendell, built in 1920 and known as the [James Henry and Ida Owen Mays House](/source/James_Henry_and_Ida_Owen_Mays_House), was listed on the [National Register of Historic Places](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places) in 1993. ## Electoral history 1914 United States House of Representatives elections[2] 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[3] 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[4] 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 - United States Congress. ["James Henry Mays (id: M000290)"](http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=M000290). *[Biographical Directory of the United States Congress](/source/Biographical_Directory_of_the_United_States_Congress)*. ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Salmon, Doris F. (1994), ["Mays, James Henry"](https://web.archive.org/web/20240801155539/https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/m/MAYS_JAMES.shtml), [*Utah History Encyclopedia*](https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/), University of Utah Press, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780874804256](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780874804256), archived from [the original](https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/m/MAYS_JAMES.shtml) on August 1, 2024, retrieved September 15, 2024 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [1914 Election Results](http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=375827) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [1916 Election Results](http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=375829) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [1918 Election Results](http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=375832) This article incorporates [public domain material](/source/Copyright_status_of_works_by_the_federal_government_of_the_United_States) from [*Biographical Directory of the United States Congress*](http://bioguide.congress.gov). [Federal government of the United States](/source/Federal_government_of_the_United_States). U.S. House of Representatives Preceded by Jacob Johnson Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Utah's 2nd congressional district 1915-1921 Succeeded by Elmer O. Leatherwood v t e United States representatives from Utah Territorial (1851–1895) Seat Bernhisel Hooper Bernhisel Kinney Hooper G. Cannon Caine Rawlins F. Cannon One at-large seat (1895–1913) Seat Allen W. King Sutherland Howell Two at-large seats (1913–1915) Seat Howell Seat Johnson Districts (1915–present) (3rd district established in 1983) (4th district established in 2013) 1st district Howell Welling Colton Murdock Granger Stringfellow Dixon Peterson Burton McKay Hansen Bishop Moore 2nd district Mays Leatherwood Loofbourow Robinson Dawson Bosone Dawson D. King Lloyd D. King Lloyd W. Owens Howe Marriott Monson W. Owens Shepherd Greene Waldholtz Cook Matheson Stewart Maloy 3rd district Nielson Orton C. Cannon Chaffetz Curtis Kennedy 4th district Matheson Love McAdams B. Owens v t e Utah's delegation(s) to the 64th United States Congress (ordered by seniority) 64th Senate: ▌R. Smoot (D) ▌G. Sutherland (R) House: ▌J. Howell (R) ▌J. Mays (D) Authority control databases: People US Congress --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [James Henry Mays](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Henry_Mays) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Henry_Mays?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.