James Sloan Kuykendall (December 9, 1878 – February 12, 1928) was an American farmer, lawyer, and Democratic politician in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Kuykendall was twice elected as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates representing Hampshire County (1907–1908 and 1919–1920). Kuykendall also served three terms as the mayor of Romney and later fulfilled the position of city attorney. Kuykendall was born in 1878 in Hampshire County, West Virginia, into one of the oldest families in the county, which was of Dutch descent. He was raised on his family's farm, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits. Kuykendall was educated in Hampshire County's rural public schools and subsequently completed his post-secondary education at Hampden–Sydney College and Washington and Lee University. In 1901, he graduated from the Cumberland School of Law, then completed a course in jurisprudence at the University of North Carolina School of Law. Kuykendall first practiced law in Greensboro, North Carolina, before establishing a law practice in Romney, West Virginia. He was elected to represent Hampshire County in the West Virginia House of Delegates for one term in 1906 and another term in 1918, each consisting of two years. He was the mayor of Romney for three terms, and in 1922 he served as Romney's city attorney. Kuykendall was elected to three terms as a member of the Hampshire County Board of Education; he also served as a Chancery Commissioner for the county. During World War I, Kuykendall was a member of the Legal Advisory Board of Hampshire County; he also participated in Liberty bond drives and directed sales to raise American Red Cross funds. Kuykendall was engaged in the management of a commercial peach orchard near Romney known as Sherman Orchard. He died in 1928 and was interred at Indian Mound Cemetery in Romney.
Early life and family James Sloan Kuykendall was born on December 9, 1878, in the Springfield Magisterial District of Hampshire County, West Virginia. He was the eldest child and son of William Kuykendall and his wife Hannah Pierce Sloan Kuykendall. Kuykendall's family was of Dutch descent and was one of the oldest families residing in Hampshire County. He was probably named for his maternal grandfather, James Sloan. Kuykendall had two younger brothers and one younger sister: Michael Blue Kuykendall, Richard Sloan Kuykendall, and Nellie Frank Kuykendall. For the first 20 years of his life, Kuykendall resided on his family's farm, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits.
Education Kuykendall received his primary education in Hampshire County's rural public schools. He commenced his higher education studies at Hampden–Sydney College in Hampden Sydney, Virginia, and later attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. Kuykendall subsequently engaged in the study of jurisprudence at the Cumberland School of Law of Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee, from which he received a diploma in 1901. He then completed a similar course in law at the University of North Carolina School of Law in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Following this course at the University of North Carolina, Kuykendall passed his bar examination before the North Carolina Supreme Court and was admitted to the bar in North Carolina in September 1903.
Law career Following his admission to the North Carolina bar, Kuykendall commenced practicing law in Greensboro, where he practiced for a little over a year before returning to West Virginia. He established his law practice in Romney and made his permanent residence there. Kuykendall argued his first case before the Hampshire County Circuit Court in defense of a Mr. Miller, who had been charged with petit larceny. Kuykendall secured the acquittal of his client, which further encouraged the young lawyer. Following this case, he continued to perform as a criminal defense lawyer. According to historian James Morton Callahan, Kuykendall "adhered to his rule to take part only on the side of the defense, and he has a merited reputation or skill and ability in that particular field." By 1923, he had been a defense attorney in three murder cases: State v. Hetrick, State v. Averell, and State v. Gardner. Kuykendall secured acquittals for his clients in State v. Hetrick and State v. Averell, but in State v. Gardner, his client was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. As an attorney for the Hampshire Southern Railroad Company in 1907, Kuykendall worked to acquire the right-of-way for the 38-mile (61 km) rail line through the South Branch Potomac River valley between the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) South Branch line at Romney and Petersburg.
Political career
Romney municipal offices Kuykendall was elected to his first term as mayor of Romney in January 1906 by a margin of eight votes. He and the elected city council members ran on an anti-liquor license platform. At the time of the election, Romney had been following a policy of banning the issuance of liquor licenses within the city for over 20 years. Throughout his political career, Kuykendall served a total of three terms as Romney's mayor. He later served as Romney's city attorney in 1922.
West Virginia House of Delegates In late 1906, Kuykendall was elected to his first term as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates and represented Hampshire County from 1907 through 1908 in the 28th West Virginia Legislative Session. During his first term in the House of Delegates, Kuykendall served on the following standing committees: Education; Counties, Districts, and Municipal Corporations; Private Corporations and Joint Stock Companies; Arts, Science, and General Improvement; and State Boundaries. He was elected to a second term in the House of Delegates in 1918 and served in the 34th West Virginia Legislative Session from 1919 through 1920. In January 1920, Kuykendall participated in a conference between Maryland and West Virginia legislators, which recommended that the states' highway commissions be authorized to connect their state highway systems at one or more points crossing the Potomac River.
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