Hon. James D. Post
It is a pleasure to investigate the career of a succcssful, self-made man. Peculiar honor attaches to that individual who, by his own unaided efforts, gradually overcomes the obstacles in the pathway of success and by the master strokes of his own force and vitality succeeds in forging his way to the front and winning for himself a position of influence and esteem among his fellow citizens. Such is the record, briefly stated, of him whose name appears at the head of these paragraphs and who for several decades has been numbered among the successful lawyers and representative citizens of Favette county. His life-long residence in this community has made his name widely and familiarly known. His life and the history of this locality for more than fifty years have been contemporaneous and he has performed his full share in the upbuilding, development and progress of the county, taking an especially prominent part in the later-day grow'th of the community. He has been a consistent man in all phases of his career and his life has been characterized by an entire absence of pretense or sham. He is what the community holds him to be, a man among men, and one who has fairly earned tlie high position which is today his.
James D. Post was born on a farm near Washington C. H., Fayette county, Ohio, on November 23,, 1863. His parents, Abraham and Mary Jane (McCoy) Post, also were natives of Fayette county, and both died here, the father in 1909, at the age of sixty-eight years, and the mother at the early age of twenty-six years. Abraham Post was a farmer by vocation and was the son of Valentine Post, who came, with his wife, from Pennsylvania, being numbered among the earliest pioneers of Fayette county. Here his death occurred at an advanced age. To him and his wife were born the following children : Andrew, Jacob, Abraham, Wesley, Barbara, Ann, Nelson and Sarah J. Berry. Mary Jane Post was the daughter of Patrick and Elizabeth McCoy, who also were early settlers in Fayette county. Their children were Patrick, Abraham, John, Sylvester, Elias, Mary J., Sarah J.,. Price, Ann (McCartney) and Rebecca (Drais). To the subject's parents were born two children besides himself, Esker, deceased, and Addie, the wife of Thomas M. Hare, of Baltimore, Maryland.
James D. Post has spent his entire life in Fayette county and his boyhood days were spent on his father's farm, where he not only gained a sound body, but also became imbued with those sterling principles of industry, perseverance and independence which have been marked characteristics of his later life. His early educational training was received in the district schools, which was supplemented by a course in the National Normal University, at Lebanon, Ohio. During the following five years Mr. Post was engaged in teaching school, and during this period he earnestly gave his attention to the study of law, the practice of which profession he had determined to make his life work. In 1887 he was examined and admitted to the bar and at once came to Washington C. H. and "hung out his shingle." That he has been eminently successful in his chosen calling is a matter of local history, for Mr. Post has for many years been numbered among the leaders of the Fayette county bar, being connected with much of the important litigation in the local courts and being frequently employed in the courts of neighboring counties. As a member of the bar he has ever faithfully and honorably discharged his duty, and has always maintained the respect that is due to courts of justice. He has always counseled and maintained such actions and defenses only as appeared to him to be just and has adhered so closely to the professional code of ethics that he has merited the confidence which has universally been placed in him.
Politically, a life-long supporter of the Democratic party, Mr. Post has for many years stood high in the councils of his party, wielding a large influence and being numbered among the party's leaders in this section of the state. In recognition of his ability, he was, in 1910, nominated and elected to represent this congressional district, the seventh, in the national legislative body. No member of Congress entered upon his labors there with a more sincere devotion to his constituents' interests than did Mr. Post, and that they appreciated and recognized his efforts was evidenced by his reelection to Congress in the fall of 1912. He is a close student of public questions affecting the financial, economic, educational and moral interests of the country and he has invariably been found on the right side of these great questions.
Religiously, Mr. Post and his wife are earnest members of the Presbyterian church, to which they contribute liberally. Fraternally, Mr. Post is a member of Sample Lodge No. 227. Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
In 1885 James D. Post was married to Mrs. Mary J. Snider, a native of Ohio, and the daughter of J. J. and Catharine (Creamer) Worthington, also natives of the Buckeye state. These parents had three children, David L., Lee and Mary J. To Mr. and Mrs. Post has been born one son, Claude L., who is an attorney in Columbus, Ohio, and who married Lois Jones. By her first marriage Mrs. Post is the mother of a daughter, Effie, the wife of T. E. Leland.
Mr. Post has always been an active supporter of all local movements tending to the upbuilding of the community, and is a stockholder and director of the Milledgeville Bank. Though very busy in the practice of his profession and in discharging his official duties at Washington, D. C, Mr. Post does not evade his ordinary duties as a citizen and, because of his life and attainments, he deserves representation in the annals of his county.
From History of Fayette County Ohio - Her People, Industries and Institutions by Frank M. Allen (1914, R. F. Bowen & Company, Inc.)