James Philemon Holcombe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Philemon Holcombe
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| Born | September 20, 1820 |
| Died | August 22, 1873 |
| Alma mater | Yale University University of Virginia Law School |
| Spouse(s) | Ann Selden Watts Holcombe |
| Children | 5 |
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James Philemon Holcombe (born September 20, 1820 – died August 22, 1873) was an American law professor and writer. He also served as a politician and diplomat for the Confederacy during the American Civil War.
Contents
Early Life and Education
James Holcombe was born in Powhatan County, Virginia. He grew up in Lynchburg. He attended Yale University and later earned a law degree from the University of Virginia Law School.
Career and Views
Legal Work and Teaching
Holcombe worked as a lawyer in Ohio. He later became a law professor at the University of Virginia. He wrote several important books about law, including An Introduction to Equity Jurisprudence.
Views on Slavery
Even though his parents freed their enslaved people, James Holcombe spoke publicly in favor of slavery. He believed that people were not naturally equal. He used this idea to argue for slavery. This was different from the idea in the Declaration of Independence that all people are created equal.
Role in the Civil War
During the American Civil War, Holcombe represented his area in the First Confederate Congress. He then became a diplomat for the Confederacy in Canada. After the war, he did not return to the University of Virginia. Instead, he started a high school for boys in Bellevue, near Goode, Virginia. This school operated until around 1909.
Later Life and Death
James Holcombe died on August 22, 1873, in Capon Springs, West Virginia. He is buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery in Lynchburg, Virginia.
