James F. Grinstead
Encyclopedia
James Fontleroy Grinstead was mayor of Louisville, Kentucky
from 1907 to 1909. He had a common school education in Barren County, Kentucky
before moving to Louisville in 1866 at the age of 21 to work in a wholesale grocery. He was a full partner in 1871 and worked in the company for twenty years, and founded his own wholesale company in 1892, becoming a well-known local businessman.
In 1901 he won the Republican nomination to run for mayor, but learned his backer, Republican Party boss Charles Sapp, had used some questionable tactics to get Grinstead votes. Grinstead declined the nomination, earning the nickname "Honest Jim".
Grinstead was elected mayor in 1907 to complete the term started by Paul C. Barth
, whose 1905 election had been thrown out by the Kentucky Court of Appeals
. He ran for reelection in 1909 but lost to Democrat William O. Head
.
Grinstead was elected county commissioner in 1917 and served until his death in 1921. Grinstead Drive, a prominent street running through Louisville's East End, was renamed in his honor. He was buried in Cave Hill Cemetery.
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
from 1907 to 1909. He had a common school education in Barren County, Kentucky
Barren County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 38,033 people, 15,346 households, and 10,941 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 17,095 housing units at an average density of...
before moving to Louisville in 1866 at the age of 21 to work in a wholesale grocery. He was a full partner in 1871 and worked in the company for twenty years, and founded his own wholesale company in 1892, becoming a well-known local businessman.
In 1901 he won the Republican nomination to run for mayor, but learned his backer, Republican Party boss Charles Sapp, had used some questionable tactics to get Grinstead votes. Grinstead declined the nomination, earning the nickname "Honest Jim".
Grinstead was elected mayor in 1907 to complete the term started by Paul C. Barth
Paul C. Barth
Paul C. Barth was Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky from 1905 to 1907. The son of a cabinetmaker who died when Barth was 11, he took financial responsibility for the family at an early age...
, whose 1905 election had been thrown out by the Kentucky Court of Appeals
Kentucky Court of Appeals
The Kentucky Court of Appeals is the lower of Kentucky's two appellate courts, under the Kentucky Supreme Court. Prior to a 1975 amendment to the Kentucky Constitution the Kentucky Court of Appeals was the only appellate court in Kentucky....
. He ran for reelection in 1909 but lost to Democrat William O. Head
William O. Head
William O. Head was mayor of Louisville, Kentucky from 1909 to 1913.-Biography:He was on July 29, 1859 in Providence, Kentucky to John Wilson Head and Mary A. Headly. His father was a captain in the Confederate Army during the Civil War...
.
Grinstead was elected county commissioner in 1917 and served until his death in 1921. Grinstead Drive, a prominent street running through Louisville's East End, was renamed in his honor. He was buried in Cave Hill Cemetery.