Please turn your device to landscape view for wide tables like those below.
James Apostle Fields
Member From: 1889 - 1890
- Birth Date: August 1844 Birth Place:Hanover County, Virginia
- Death Date: November 23, 1903
- Gender: Male Race: African American
- Spouse: Carrie E. Washington (m. May 9, 1885)
- Children: 4 sons
- Religion:
- Education: Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (Hampton University)
Howard University - Law Degree 1882 - Military Service:
- Occupation/Profession: Attorney
-
Additional Info Links:
Bio from Encyclopedia Virginia
Bio from Virginia's Martin Luther King Jr. Commission
- Bio: James A. Fields, who was born enslaved and became a successful lawyer, served one term in the House of Delegates (1889–1890). A brutal beating prompted Fields to escape his Hanover County bondage, and he settled in the Hampton area during the American Civil War (1861–1865). He enrolled in Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute‘s first class in 1869 and graduated two years later. In 1882 Fields received his law degree from Howard University and began to practice law in Warwick County (later Newport News). Five years later the area’s voters elected him as commonwealth’s attorney, and in 1889 he won his seat in the General Assembly. By 1900 he paid taxes on at least twenty-five properties in Newport News and Elizabeth City County. Fields died of Bright’s disease in 1903. His late-Victorian Italianate residence in Newport News was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
- Other Notable Service and/or Elected Offices:
Justice of the Peace
Commonwealth's Attorney
Doorkeeper of Virginia House of Delegates - 1879 - 1880
| Session | District | District Number | Party | Leadership | Committees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1889-1890 | Elizabeth City, James City, Warwick, York, and Williamsburg | Republican | Claims Schools and Colleges |
*The information within this interactive and searchable application has been researched extensively by the House Clerk’s Office. As with any historical records of this age and breadth, there may be discrepancies and/or inconsistencies within records obtained from a variety of credible sources. Any feedback is encouraged at history@house.virginia.gov.