James W. Newman was a Democratic politician in the Ohio House of Representatives

Ohio House of Representatives

The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....

, Ohio Senate

Ohio Senate

The Ohio State Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly, the legislative body for the U.S. state of Ohio. There are 33 State Senators. The state legislature meets in the state capital, Columbus. The President of the Senate presides over the body when in session, and is currently Tom...

, and was Ohio Secretary of State

Ohio Secretary of State

The Secretary of State is responsible for overseeing elections in the State of Ohio. The Secretary of State also is responsible for registering business entities and granting them the authority to do business within the state, registering secured transactions, and granting access to public...

 from 1883 to 1885.

Biography

James W. Newman was born March 12, 1841 in Highland County, Ohio

Highland County, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 40,875 people, 15,587 households, and 11,394 families residing in the county. The population density was 74 people per square mile . There were 17,583 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile...

, and moved soon thereafter to Portsmouth, Ohio

Portsmouth, Ohio

Portsmouth is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Scioto County. The municipality is located on the northern banks of the Ohio River and east of the Scioto River in Southern Ohio. The population was 20,226 at the 2010 census.-Foundation:...

. He attended public schools in that town and graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University

Ohio Wesleyan University

Ohio Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five — a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges...

 in 1861. He did not serve his country during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. For 33 years he was editor and owner of the Portsmouth Times, and after, President of the Central National Bank of Portsmouth.

Newman was active in the Democratic Party, serving as President of the Scioto County

Scioto County, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 79,195 people, 30,871 households, and 21,362 families residing in the county. The population density was 129 people per square mile . There were 34,054 housing units at an average density of 56 per square mile...

 central committee, and as delegate to the state and national conventions. He was elected in 1867 to represented Scioto County in the Ohio House of Representatives in the 58th General Assembly in 1868 and 1869. He was elected to represent the 7th District in the 60th and 61st General Assemblies in the Ohio Senate in 1872-1876.

Newman defeated Republican Charles Townsend

Charles Townsend (Ohio politician)

Charles Townsend was a Republican politician in the Ohio House of Representatives, Ohio Senate, and was Ohio Secretary of State from 1881 to 1883.-Biography:...

 and two other candidates for Ohio Secretary of State with a majority of the vote in 1882, and served 1883 to 1885. He lost to James Sidney Robinson in another four way race in the 1884.

Newman was Collector of Internal Revenue 1885 to 1889. Newman was married to Kate Moore October 24, 1871. They had one son, Howard Ott Newman. He was Exalted Ruler of the Portsmouth Elks Lodge. He died January 1, 1901 at Portsmouth.