Herman Hines

James Herman Hines (September 8, 1914 – May 10, 2010), commonly known as J. Herman Hines, was an American banker, United States Army officer, and civic leader based in Jackson, Mississippi. He spent nearly four decades with Deposit Guaranty Bank & Trust Company, later Deposit Guaranty National Bank, beginning as a clerk and part-time runner in 1936 and retiring in 1979 as chairman of the board and chief executive officer.

Hines served in the Pacific theater during World War II and was honorably discharged with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He also helped establish the Mississippi Higher Education Assistance Corporation and the Education Services Foundation, organizations created to expand access to postsecondary education in Mississippi. The Education Services Foundation was later renamed the Woodward Hines Education Foundation in recognition of Hines and Millsaps College administrator Jack Woodward.

Early life and education

Hines was born in Jackson on September 8, 1914, one of eight children of Hulon Hunter Hines and Ione Odom Hines. He graduated from Central High School in 1932. After graduation, he worked for the Morris Ice Company before joining Deposit Guaranty Bank & Trust Company in 1936 as a clerk and part-time runner.

Military service

Hines entered the United States Army in 1942 and attended Officer Candidate School at Camp Lee, Virginia. In December 1943, he was reassigned to the 3260th Quartermaster Service Company at Lower Kalihi on Oahu.

Hines was promoted to captain on May 22, 1944, pursuant to paragraph 27 of Special Orders No. 143. By September 1945, he was serving as commanding officer of the 545th Quartermaster Depot Company. On September 5, 1945, he was listed aboard the high-speed transport USS Lloyd (APD-63) during his return to the United States.

He was honorably discharged with the rank of lieutenant colonel and returned to Jackson in 1946, when he resumed his career with Deposit Guaranty.

In 1973, Hines was elected president and chief operating officer of Deposit Guaranty National Bank. He later became chairman and chief executive officer of the bank. He retired in 1979. After retirement, he continued to maintain an office at the bank and assist employees and customers until 2010.

Hines served on the Millsaps College Board of Trustees from 1974 until his death in 2010 and was named a life trustee in 2001.

His other civic roles included chairman of the United Way, president of the Mississippi chapter of the American Heart Association, vice chairman of the Mississippi Ballet International Board of Trustees, and service with St. Dominic Hospital, Piney Woods Country Life School, Jackson State University, the Jackson Chamber of Commerce, and Entergy.

Hines was a founding member of St. James' Episcopal Church in Jackson. He served as treasurer of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi for 42 years and sang in the church choir for 52 years. His other honors included the Exchange Club's Golden Deed Award and the Episcopal Foundation's Mississippi Humanitarian Award. She was also his spouse during his service as United States ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1994 to 1996.

Hines died from cancer on May 10, 2010, at the home of his daughter Martha Hines Botts in College Station, Texas. He was 95. His funeral was held at St. James' Episcopal Church, and his remains were placed in the church's columbarium.

Legacy

Following Hines's death, the Mississippi Legislature adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution 506, commemorating his banking career, military service, philanthropy, and civic activities.

The Woodward Hines Education Foundation continues to bear the names of Hines and Woodward. In 2020, the foundation gave Millsaps College $100,000 to establish an endowed scholarship for students transferring from Mississippi community colleges. A 1980 portrait of Hines by Mississippi journalist and photographer Wilson F. Minor is held by the Mississippi State University Libraries' Archives and Special Collections Division.