7, 1877 – April 7, 1960): Born in Palmyra, Township, Knox County, Indiana. His ancestors settled in Vincennes before Indiana became a state and was a prominent part in the development of that part of the country. Served as the Deputy Recorder of Knox County and then followed in his father's footsteps of farming. Founding and early history (1897–1908) On January 26, 1897, Charlotte N. Mallote, a professor of Latin and French, spoke to a group of students during chapel hour at Vincennes University about College Fraternities. One month later, on February 26, 1897, a new literary society had its first meeting, founded by James, Kennedy, Patterson, and Kingsbury. The first two initiates of the society were Samuel and Maurice Bayard, who were brought into the organization well before a name or constitution was established. The constitution, name, and first ritual were developed at the home of the Bayard's. The founders soon agreed upon a name, and the society was christened Tau Phi Delta (ΤΦΔ). By the end of its first year in 1898, Tau Phi Delta had 10 members, but the new Fraternity encountered membership struggles at the turn of the 20th century, as many of America's young men left to fight in the Spanish–American War. As such, personal endeavors were paused, while the nation focused all efforts and resources on the war that was raging in the Caribbean and Pacific Oceans. Key members of Tau Phi Delta, William Raper Kennedy, Lee B. Purcell, and Maurice Bayard had all left to fight in the war, leaving James as the sole member by the end of the war. James restored the society by initiating five new members shortly after the turn of the 20th century. These new members pressured James to change the name to Theta Gamma Psi (ΘΓΨ), but James successfully argued to keep the society named Tau Phi Delta. In 1903–1904, the Fraternity had grown so large that it stopped meeting at Vincennes, instead, meeting at The Bayard Cottage. This structure is considered the fraternity's first chapter house. In 1907, Tau Phi Delta began meeting at the old colonial residence of Judge J.P.L Weems. It was in the Niblack-Weems household that Tau Phi Delta was rechristened as Sigma Pi. The home would later play host to the first national congress. In 1904–05, Tau Phi Delta finally began to seek expansion to other universities. Although rejected, a local fraternity