James S. Boynton

James Stoddard Boynton (May 7, 1833 – December 22, 1902) was an American politician and jurist.

Early life and education Boynton was born in Henry County, Georgia on May 7, 1833. His parents were of modest wealth. His father, Elijah S. Boynton, was born in Vermont and came to Georgia as a young man. His mother, Elizabeth (Moffet) Boynton, was from a South Carolina family of French ancestry.

James S. Boynton was raised on his parents' farm in Henry County, GA, which was worked with the labor of enslaved African American people. James was educated in the local country schools which convened a few months of the year after the harvest. As a youth, he was inspired by tales of military exploits in the Mexican-American War. At the age of 16, he entered preparatory school with the ambition of seeking an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. When his father died in 1849, he inherited 100 acres of land and one enslaved person. Still intent on attending West Point, he chose a guardian with means and willingness to assist him. But when this guardian died in 1851, he was forced to revise his plans and seek attendance at the Georgia Military Institute at Marietta, GA. With his second guardian's consent, he sold his land to cover the cost of attendance. But finding the money would be insufficient to sustain him through graduation, so he gave up his ambition of a military career. Instead, he moved to Cave Spring, GA to attend Hearn Manual Labor School, where he remained until his funds were exhausted. He was wounded in the Battle of Atlanta, and achieved the rank of colonel by the end of the war. After the war, Boynton returned to Griffin in 1865.

Political career

Boynton briefly served as the 51st governor of Georgia from 1883 after the death of Governor Alexander Stephens. At the time of Stephens' death, Boynton was serving as the president of the Georgia Senate so he assumed the governorship. His additional political service included serving as Mayor of Griffin, Georgia.

Boynton also served as a judge in the Spalding County, Georgia Court and the Flint Circuit Superior Court.

Death and legacy

He died at his home in Griffin in 1902 and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in that same city.

A street in Chickamauga, Georgia is named for him.