William Hartford James was a Republican Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

 politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 best known as the Acting Governor of Nebraska. He was also a member of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Board of Regents during his tenure as Governor.

Early life in Iowa

William Hartford James was born on October 15, 1831 at Marion, Ohio

Marion, Ohio

Marion is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Marion County. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio, approximately north of Columbus....

. He attended the public school and worked on the family farm. He began studying law on his own, and in 1853, James moved to Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...

 and joined a law firm. He was admitted to the Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

 Bar Association

Bar association

A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...

 in 1855 and moved to Sergeant Bluff to start his own legal practice.

Political career in Nebraska

In 1857 James moved to Nebraska and staked a homestead claim in Dakota County

Dakota County, Nebraska

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 20,253 people, 7,095 households, and 5,087 families residing in the county. The population density was 77 people per square mile . There were 7,528 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile...

. He soon became active in local politics, serving as Justice of the Peace

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

 and County Attorney for Dakota County. In 1864 President Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...

 appointed James as register of the Dakota County Land Office. After serving as register of the Dakota County Land Office for five years, James then ran on the Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 ticket and was elected Secretary of State

Secretary of State (U.S. state government)

Secretary of State is an official in the state governments of 47 of the 50 states of the United States, as well as Puerto Rico and other U.S. possessions. In Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, this official is called the Secretary of the Commonwealth...

 in 1870. In 1871, with the impeachment of Governor David Butler

David Butler (Nebraska)

David C. Butler was a U.S. political figure. He was the first Governor of Nebraska, serving from 1867 until 1871...

, James became Acting Governor of Nebraska

Governor of Nebraska

The Governor of Nebraska holds the "supreme executive power" of the State of Nebraska as provided by the fourth article of the Nebraska Constitution. The current Governor is Dave Heineman, a Republican, who assumed office on January 20, 2005 upon the resignation of Mike Johanns . He won a full...

.

Later years

After serving out his term as acting Governor, James returned to his legal practice. In 1877 he was appointed register of the Colfax, Washington

Colfax, Washington

Colfax is the county seat of Whitman County, Washington, United States.The population was 2,805 at the 2010 census.It is situated amidst wheat-covered hills in a valley at the confluence of the north and south forks of the Palouse River. U.S...

Land Office. He held that position until his death on February 1, 1920.