Arthur Horace James (July 14, 1883April 27, 1973) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge. A Republican, he served as the 14th lieutenant governor (1927–1931) and the 31st governor (1939–1943) of Pennsylvania.
Early life and career
The oldest of eight children, Arthur James was born in Plymouth, Pennsylvania, to James D. James, a mine foreman, and Rachel (née Edwards) James, a schoolteacher. Both parents were Welsh immigrants. As a child, he worked as a breaker boy and mule driver in the coal mines of northeastern Pennsylvania. His mother died while he was still in grammar school, after which his father tutored him and his siblings.
After graduating from Plymouth High School in 1901, James studied at Dickinson Law School in Carlisle.
From 1920 to 1926, he served as district attorney of Luzerne County.