From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (main entry)

Bailey, James W., Jr.

(born: August 23, 1939) 

In 1985, barber and farmer James W. Bailey, Jr. became the first African American elected to the West District Magistrate of the Simpson County, KY Fiscal Court. For eight years, he was a deputy jailer at the Simpson County Detention Center and served on several boards, including the Planning and Zoning Committee. 

He was a graduate of Tyler Barber College in Memphis, TN. He was also a veteran of the U.S. Army. As a farmer, James was named the Outstanding Pork Producer of 1994, Outstanding Farmer of 1995, and Outstanding Member of the South Central Kentucky Pork Producers in 1999. 

James W. Bailey, Jr. was born in Nashville, TN, the son of Gladys James and James W. Bailey, Sr. The family moved from Tennessee to Jonesville near Bowling Green, KY, then later moved to Franklin, KY.  

For more see "Kentucky's only black sheriff in Christian County," in 1988 Kentucky Directory of Black Elected Officials, Seventh Report, by the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, p. 17; and "February Black History Month: James W. Bailey, Jr.," The Franklin Favorite, 2/28/2014, p. TMC6.

Kentucky County & Region

Read about Warren County, Kentucky in Wikipedia.
Read about Simpson County, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

Kentucky Place (Town or City)

Read about Jonesville, Kentucky in Wikipedia.
Read about Franklin, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

Outside Kentucky Place Name

Item Relations

Cited in this Entry

NKAA Source: Kentucky directory of black elected officials
NKAA Source: Franklin favorite (newspaper)

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Cite This NKAA Entry:

“Bailey, James W., Jr.,” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed July 26, 2024, https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/index.php/items/show/1060.

Last modified: 2023-06-05 17:16:42