West Virginia University - Monticola Yearbook (Morgantown, WV)

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(3lameg . f.nkin ' AMES S. LAKIN, tlie eldest sou of Rev. Calvin H. and Catherine Jj Finney Lakin. was born at Monndsville, W. Va., on March 1, 1864. M He is descended from Aliraham Lakin (bora in 1713 and died in 1796) who received from King- George of England title deeds foi ' a tract of land, in Frederick County, Maryland, which passed from father to son through many generations, and is still in the Lakin name, being now the homestead of William Gerry Lakin. His great-great grandfather (a son of Abraham) was Benjamin Lakin — born in 1738, married in 1760 to Rebecca Fee, and died in 1776. His great grandfather, Thomas, an itinerant IMethodist preacher, was born in Montgomery County, Maryland, in 1763, married to Priscilla Sullivan in 1782, settled later in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, and died near Freeport (Harrison County) Ohio in 1834. His grandfather William, was born at Cumberland, Maryland, in 1791, and died near Freei)0] ' t, Ohio, in 1855. His father. Rev. Calvin H. Lakin, was bom near Freeport on June 29, 1838, married Catherine Finney (of Tuscarwas Covmty, Ohio) on Mari-h 26, 1863, and retired after a half cen- tury of active service as a minister in the AVest Virginia and Iowa conferences of the Methodist Episcopal church, including service as pr siding elder of the Oakland and Huntington districts, and now resides in Huntington, W. Va. It was in many ways of great advantage to James S. that he was the son (the eldest son) of a West Virginia itinerant minister. From the strenuous life of the father with the meager support afl ' orded by many of the churches he served, the son learned the habits of industry, thrift and economy which are of inestimable value. He obtained his education in the common schools of West Virginia, in the Fairmont State Normal School and in the Ohio W esleyan LTniversity, Delaware, Ohio. At Ohio Wesleyan, he met a young lady student, Lura Oliva Lakin (daughter of George W. Lakin of C ' olumbus, Ohio) who became his wife on November 14, 1889, and who he later discovered was a distant relative. To them three chihlrcu ha -e been born — James Offutt, .Marion Elizabeth, and Florence Catherine. In September 1889, Mr. Lakin became the partner of D. E. Ot¥utt of Oak- laud, Md. in a mercantile business carried on at Teri ' a Alta, W. Va., under the firm name of Oti ' ut and Lakin. He had full charge of the business until 1909, when he gave up his work to eutei ' ui)on his duties as member of the State Board of Control, and Was succeeded by his brother Finne.y L. Lakin as man- ager. The business was successful from the beginning and is now conducted in a substantial three story brick building. From a strictly mercantile busi- ness at the beginning, the firm soon branched out into business in coal, timber. and other lines, and now owns large acreages of timber land in AVest Virginia, Virginia and Arkansas. In connectidii itli his business success Mr. Lakin naturally became interested in ))at k-ing. lb- w.is elected President of the First National Bank of Terra Alta and also became one of the Directors of the Terra AH a Bank. He has always shown a lively interest in political and public affairs and was for a number of years a member of the Republican executive committee of Preston County. In 1900 he was appointed by Gov. A. B. White to act as director of the West Virginia Asylum at Huntington, and in 1904 was re- appointed by Gov. W. M. 0. Daw.son. In 1905 he was the Republican candi- date for Congress in the Second Congressional District of AVest Virginia to succeed Hon. A. G. Dayton, who had been appointed to a federal judgeship. In this campaign he was defeated by a small majority by Colonel Thomas B. Davis of Keyser, AV. AT ' a., a brother of Hon. Henry G. Davis. In 1909, he was appointed by Gov. AV. E. Glasscock to serve as one of

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JAMES S. LAKIN

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the tliree members of the newly-created State Board of Conti ' ol to liave charge of the business and financial side of all state institutions. His associates were John A. Sheppard, a prominent attorney, now of Tluntington, W. Va., and Thomas E. Hodges, now President of the University. By them he was elected President of the Board ; in this position he has shown remarkable ability as an organizer and his service has been continuous excepting a brief leave of ab- sence during the political campaign of 1912 during which he served as chair- man of the Republican state executive committee. In 1918 Governor II. D. Hatfield appointed him a member of the new Public Service Commission of which he was elected Chairman. Subsequently it was held that he was ineligible to this position because of a provision in the law governing the State Board of Control. He was thereupon restored by the Governor to membership upon the State Board of Control and re-elected President. Mr. Lakin is a 32nd degree Mason, Knight Templar, and Shriner. and also holds membership in the Knights of Pythias. He is a hard worker and an apostle of the strenuous life and a believer in all things that count for the public good. The class of 1915 is proud to dedicate to him its number of the Monticola.