| C. L. James | |
|---|---|
| Born | Charles Leigh James (1846-10-23)October 23, 1846 Baden-Baden, Grand Duchy of Baden |
| Died | June 3, 1911(1911-06-03) (aged 64) Eau Claire, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Movement | Anarchism |
| Spouse | Maria Charlotte Hoyt (m. 1873, div. 1887, m. 1893) |
| Children | 3 |
| Father | George Payne Rainsford James |
| Relatives | Honoratus Leigh Thomas (grandfather) |
Charles Leigh James (October 23, 1846 – June 3, 1911) was an American anarchist writer and journalist. He regularly contributed pieces to the anarchist press, including to Mother Earth, Lucifer the Lightbearer, Free Society, The Alarm, and Liberty.
Biography
James was born October 23, 1846, in Baden-Baden, Grand Duchy of Baden, in modern-day Germany, the son of English historian and novelist George Payne Rainsford James and Frances James (née Thomas). James travelled extensively as a child before settling in England in 1860 following his father's death. He studied at Cheltenham College and Brighton College. In 1865, the family emigrated to Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
In 1866, James opened a short-lived grocery store. He worked as a journalist for local papers and lectured on religion and temperance. In 1873 he married Maria Charlotte Hoyt, with whom he had three daughters. In 1885 he played a leading role in a water-works strike in Eau Claire. In 1887 Maria divorced James citing lack of support and inhuman treatment, including accusations that he threatened her with a knife and locked her in a barn overnight. James did not contest the divorce. They remarried in 1893.
James rarely left the local area, with most of his political activity being through his writings.
James died June 3, 1911, at home in Eau Claire aged 64.
Publications
- Religious Meditations and Other Poems, Liberal, Reformatory and Miscellaneous (1871)
- Anarchy: A Tract for the Times (1886)
- An Appeal to the Women of America in Behalf of Liberty and Justice (1891)
- History of the French Revolution (1902)
- Origin of Anarchism (1902)
- Anarchism and Malthus (1910)
Notes
- ^ Isaak 1911, p. 245.
- ^ Reichert 1976, p. 244.
- ^ "Death Calls Two Old Time Citizens". Eau Claire Sunday Leader. June 4, 1911. p. 5.
- ^ Reichert 1976, p. 245.
- "Divorce of an Anarchist". The Eau Claire News. April 2, 1887. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- "City and County". Weekly Free Press. Eau Claire. April 27, 1893. p. 6.
- "The French Revolution; History of the French Revolution". The New York Times. April 25, 1903. p. 15. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
References
- Isaak, Abe (October 1911). "C. L. James". Mother Earth. Vol. VI, no. 8. pp. 245–248.
- Reichert, William O. (1976). "Dyer D. Lum and C. L. James: Anarchist Scholars of the Midwest". Partisans of Freedom: A Study in American Anarchism. Bowling Green University Popular Press. pp. 244–257. ISBN 978-0-87972-118-3 – via Internet Archive.
Further reading
- de Cleyre, Voltairine (July 1911). "C. L. James". Mother Earth. Vol. VI, no. 5. pp. 142–144.
- Jaxon, Honoré J. (July 1911). "A Reminiscence of Charlie James". Mother Earth. Vol. VI, no. 5. pp. 144–146.
- Morton, James F. (August 1911). "C. L. James". Mother Earth. Vol. VI, no. 6. pp. 172–174.
- "An Anarchist Scholar". Road to Freedom. Vol. 4, no. 10. May 1928.
- Fox, Jay (July 1, 1911). "The Passing Show: C. L. James". The Agitator. Vol. 1, no. 16. p. 1.
- 1846 births
- 1911 deaths
- People from Baden-Baden
- People educated at Cheltenham College
- People educated at Brighton College
- People from Eau Claire, Wisconsin
- American anarchists
- Journalists from Wisconsin
- American anarchist writers
- 19th-century American writers
- 20th-century American writers
- 19th-century American journalists
- 20th-century American journalists
- British expatriate academics in the United States
- American political writers
- Temperance activists from Wisconsin