James D. Black
| James D. Black | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 39th Governor of Kentucky | |
|
In office May 19, 1919 – December 9, 1919 |
|
| Lieutenant | Vacant |
| Preceded by | Augustus O. Stanley |
| Succeeded by | Edwin P. Morrow |
| 32nd Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky | |
|
In office December 7, 1915 – May 19, 1919 |
|
| Governor | Augustus O. Stanley |
| Preceded by | Edward J. McDermott |
| Succeeded by | S. Thruston Ballard |
| Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives | |
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In office 1876 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 24, 1849 Knox County, Kentucky |
| Died | August 5, 1938 (aged 88) Barbourville, Kentucky |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Jeanette "Nettie" Pitzer |
| Alma mater | Tusculum College |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Religion | Methodist Episcopal |
| Signature |  |
James Dixon Black (September 24, 1849 – August 5, 1938) was the 39th Governor of Kentucky, serving for seven months in 1919. He ascended to the office when Governor Augustus O. Stanley was elected to the U.S. Senate.
Black graduated from Tusculum College in 1872 and taught school while studying law. He was admitted to the bar in 1874 and opened his legal practice in Barbourville, Kentucky. Eventually, his son, Pitzer Dixon, and his son-in-law, Hiram H. Owens, became partners in his practice, called Black, Black and Owens. Deeply interested in education, he served as superintendent of the Knox County public schools for two years, and was instrumental in the founding of Union College in Barbourville. He served as president of the college from 1910 to 1912.
Black was chosen as the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 1915, despite having only meager previous political experience. He was elected on a ticket with Augustus O. Stanley and was elevated to governor when Stanley resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate. Much of his seven months as governor were spent on his re-election campaign. He was unable to satisfactorily answer charges of corruption made against the Stanley administration by his opponent, Edwin P. Morrow. Morrow won the election by more than 40,000 votes. Black returned to his legal practice in Barbourville and served as president of a bank founded by his older brother. He was campaign manager for Alben Barkley's senatorial campaign when he died of pneumonia on August 5, 1938.
James Dixon Black was born on September 24, 1849 nine miles from Barbourville on Richland Creek in Knox County, Kentucky. He was the youngest of twelve children born to John Craig and Clarissa "Cassie" (Jones) Black. Black's older brother, Isaac Jones Black (August 5, 1828 - October 22, 1866), was captain of the 49th Kentucky Mounted Infantry in the Union Army during the Civil War.
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