James Thompson Farley (August 6, 1829January 22, 1886) was a United States Senator from California.
Early life
He was born in Albemarle County, Virginia, and moved to Missouri at an early age. Drawn by the discovery of gold and hastened by a duel in which he nearly killed a man who had been his rival for a woman's affections, Farley moved to California in 1849. He tried mining for gold in Calaveras and Tuolumne counties but had little success.
Political career
He was elected to the California State Assembly from Amador County at the age of 25 as a member of the Whig Party. At the time, only five years after California had become a state and in accordance with the original Constitution of California, members of the assembly were chosen annually. Farley ran for re-election in 1855, this time as a member of the Know Nothing Party, which was in the majority of the legislature at the time.
Personal life
Farley was described as having a "fine appearance, warmth and congeniality of feelings." His law practice in Jackson served as a launching pad for other California politicians such as Judge Henry L. Waldo who became the district attorney of Amador County from 1867 until 1870, as well as Anthony Caminetti, who also became the district attorney of Amador County but later became a United States representative from California from 1891 to 1895.
He was married in 1876 to Flora Forester Phelps of Amador County. They were the parents of a son and a daughter.