James W. Bolton
Encyclopedia
James Wade Bolton was a prominent banker, civic leader, and school board president in Alexandria
, the seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city in central Louisiana
. Bolton High School
in Alexandria is named in his honor. He was president of the Rapides Bank and Trust Company in Alexandria from 1912 until his death. Rapides Bank later became part of Bank One Corporation
.
Bolton was born in Winnfield, the seat of Winn Parish, to George Washington Bolton and the former Miss Tennessee Wade. He was twice married. His first wife, the former Annie White, died in 1895, after fewer than two years of marriage. On October 21, 1896, he wed the former Mary Esther Calderwood (December 2, 1876–January 1, 1952). They had three children, James Calderwood Bolton
, Robert Harvey Bolton
, and Mrs. Charles L. Brown. Both Bolton sons were bankers too.
In addition to his bank presidency, Bolton was president of the Louisiana Bankers Association from 1916-1917 and a member of the executive council of the American Bankers Association
from 1920-1923. He sat on the board of trustees for the Peabody Institute
in Nashville
, Tennessee
. He was on the original advisory board of the New Orleans branch of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation
, which was established in 1932 in the Hoover
administration to provide loans to prevent large businesses from collapse during the Great Depression
. For years, Bolton represented Rapides Parish on the Louisiana Democratic
State Central Committee.
Bolton was a member (and president from 1929-1931) of the board of trustees of Baptist
Hospital in Alexandria, later named Rapides General Hospital and then Rapides Medical Center. He was also a member of the executive board of the Louisiana Baptist Convention and was president of the board of trustees of Emmanuel Baptist Church in downtown Alexandria. He was chairman of the building committee that constructed the first brick church building. He was a York Rite Mason, a Shriner, and a member of the Elks Club
.
For three decades, Bolton served on the elected Rapides Parish School Board, eighteen of those years as the board president. Under his leadership, the Rapides system, and particularly Bolton High School, became an educational model for the state. Bolton High was founded in 1915 on land donated by Bolton in the Garden District of Alexandria. The current facility, a project of the contractor George A. Caldwell
of Baton Rouge
, opened in 1926. The school board, at Bolton's prodding, established a student loan fund to assist in the education of future teachers in the parish.
James and Mary Bolton are interred at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Pineville
, across the Red River from Alexandria.
Long after James Bolton's death, the Bolton home, River Oaks, was donated in the 1980s to the city of Alexandria as a center for contemporary regional arts and crafts
.
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
, the seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city in central Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. Bolton High School
Bolton High School (Louisiana)
Bolton High School is a secondary educational institution located in the Garden District of Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city in central Louisiana. The school is named for its benefactor, James W...
in Alexandria is named in his honor. He was president of the Rapides Bank and Trust Company in Alexandria from 1912 until his death. Rapides Bank later became part of Bank One Corporation
Bank One Corporation
Some of the banks that were merged into these banks include:*Bank One**Security National Bank & Trust **Affiliated Bankshares of Colorado **American Fletcher Corp. **City National Bank and Trust Co...
.
Bolton was born in Winnfield, the seat of Winn Parish, to George Washington Bolton and the former Miss Tennessee Wade. He was twice married. His first wife, the former Annie White, died in 1895, after fewer than two years of marriage. On October 21, 1896, he wed the former Mary Esther Calderwood (December 2, 1876–January 1, 1952). They had three children, James Calderwood Bolton
James C. Bolton
James Calderwood Bolton was a prominent banker, civic leader, and Baptist layman in Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city in central Louisiana.-Early life and career:...
, Robert Harvey Bolton
Robert H. Bolton
Robert Harvey Bolton, Sr. , was a prominent banker, civic leader, and Baptist layman in Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish, in central Louisiana.-Early life:...
, and Mrs. Charles L. Brown. Both Bolton sons were bankers too.
In addition to his bank presidency, Bolton was president of the Louisiana Bankers Association from 1916-1917 and a member of the executive council of the American Bankers Association
American Bankers Association
The American Bankers Association is an industry trade group and professional association representing the United States' banking industry...
from 1920-1923. He sat on the board of trustees for the Peabody Institute
Peabody Institute
The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University is a renowned conservatory and preparatory school located in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland at the corner of Charles and Monument Streets at Mount Vernon Place.-History:...
in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. He was on the original advisory board of the New Orleans branch of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation
Reconstruction Finance Corporation
The Reconstruction Finance Corporation was an independent agency of the United States government, established and chartered by the US Congress in 1932, Act of January 22, 1932, c. 8, 47 Stat. 5, during the administration of President Herbert Hoover. It was modeled after the War Finance Corporation...
, which was established in 1932 in the Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
administration to provide loans to prevent large businesses from collapse during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. For years, Bolton represented Rapides Parish on the Louisiana Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
State Central Committee.
Bolton was a member (and president from 1929-1931) of the board of trustees of Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Hospital in Alexandria, later named Rapides General Hospital and then Rapides Medical Center. He was also a member of the executive board of the Louisiana Baptist Convention and was president of the board of trustees of Emmanuel Baptist Church in downtown Alexandria. He was chairman of the building committee that constructed the first brick church building. He was a York Rite Mason, a Shriner, and a member of the Elks Club
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is an American fraternal order and social club founded in 1868...
.
For three decades, Bolton served on the elected Rapides Parish School Board, eighteen of those years as the board president. Under his leadership, the Rapides system, and particularly Bolton High School, became an educational model for the state. Bolton High was founded in 1915 on land donated by Bolton in the Garden District of Alexandria. The current facility, a project of the contractor George A. Caldwell
George Caldwell (Louisiana)
George A. Caldwell, sometimes known as Big George Caldwell , was a powerful Louisiana contractor who supervised the construction of nine buildings on the campus of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, including the university library and the structures housing the dairying and physics...
of Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
, opened in 1926. The school board, at Bolton's prodding, established a student loan fund to assist in the education of future teachers in the parish.
James and Mary Bolton are interred at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Pineville
Pineville, Louisiana
Pineville is a city in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is adjacent to the city of Alexandria, and is part of that city's Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,829 at the 2000 census....
, across the Red River from Alexandria.
Long after James Bolton's death, the Bolton home, River Oaks, was donated in the 1980s to the city of Alexandria as a center for contemporary regional arts and crafts
Arts and crafts
Arts and crafts comprise a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one's hands and skill. These can be sub-divided into handicrafts or "traditional crafts" and "the rest"...
.