James S. Rollins
Encyclopedia
James Sidney Rollins was a nineteenth century Missouri
politician and lawyer. He helped establish the University of Missouri
, led the successful effort to get it located in Boone County
, and gained funding for the University with the passage of a series of acts in the Missouri Legislature. For his efforts, he was named "Father of the University of Missouri."
As a border state
Congressman, Rollins played a role in Congress's passage of the Thirteenth Amendment
abolishing slavery. He changed his vote to support the amendment, and spoke in favor of it. Rollins was a Whig
for the first 20 years of his political career. When that party broke up, he began a political transition, changing parties several times before becoming a Republican
late in his life. Rollins' lifelong support of business development was compatible with Republican policies, but his situation as a major slaveowner prevented him from joining the Republican Party until well after the Civil War.
Rollins was born in Richmond
, in Madison County
, Kentucky
. His father, Anthony Wayne Rollins, a physician, was born in Pennsylvania of Scotch-Irish immigrant parents, and named for the Revolutionary War hero Anthony Wayne. His mother, Sarah Harris Rodes Rollins, was born in Virginia and was of English descent.
Rollins studied at Richmond Academy, attended Washington College (now Washington and Jefferson College) in Pennsylvania, and graduated from Indiana University
in 1830. The Rollins family moved from Kentucky to Boone County, Missouri that same year. Rollins read law in the Columbia
office of Abiel Leonard for two years, while helping to manage his father’s farm. In 1832, Rollins enlisted in the Black Hawk War
, and was given the rank of Major
. After the war, Rollins entered law school at Transylvania University
in Lexington
, Kentucky. When he graduated in 1834, he was admitted to the bar, and began practicing in Columbia that same year.
In 1837, Rollins married Mary Elizabeth Hickman (1820–1907). She was the daughter of James Hickman, and was from Franklin
, in nearby Howard County, Missouri. They had 11 children, seven of whom survived to adulthood.
in 1838, representing Boone County. He was elected Representative
in 1838, 1840, and 1854, and as a Senator
in 1846. He was a delegate to the 1844 Whig National Convention
. He ran for Governor of Missouri in 1848 and 1857, but was defeated both times. Rollins was a Whig from 1836 to 1855, when the party dissolved in dissension over the Kansas-Nebraska Act
regarding the extension of slavery into territories and new states. As a large slaveholder in Missouri, Rollins was not an abolitionist, but he opposed both the extension of slavery and secession
.
When the Whig Party ended, Rollins began a political transition. He ran as an independent in his second try for governor, supported by Know-Nothings, Thomas Hart Benton
Democrats, and remnants of the Whigs. He lost to Democrat Robert M. Stewart by 334 votes. When he was not in the Missouri Legislature, Rollins developed his law practice in Columbia, despite ambivalence about the monotony of a legal career.
: Boone, Callaway
, Cole, Cooper
, Howard, and Saline Counties. Cole and Howard County legislators had hoped to secure the University for their counties by direct legislation, but Rollins' bill passed on February 8, 1839. Three days later, the Geyer Act
, introduced by Henry Geyer of St. Louis, passed, officially incorporating the University of Missouri.
Rollins’ act directed that the county that raised the most money would be awarded the University. Rollins himself made a significant donation, and put considerable effort into raising subscriptions from fellow Boone County residents. The competition was most intense among Boone, Callaway, and Howard Counties. When state commissioners visited Howard County, Rollins was there. After learning that Howard County had increased the appraised value of land donated in the competition, Rollins sold 222 acre (0.89840292 km²) of his own land to Boone County for $25 an acre. Boone County in turn appraised the land at $75 an acre in its bid. The $117,921 raised by Boone County was the highest amount, and won the University.
Rollins’ efforts to support the University of Missouri met with limited success before the Civil War. As Senator, he drafted a report in 1847 which proposed state funding for the school and a professorship for advanced studies in “Theory and Practice of Teaching.” The Senate passed a version two years later, providing no funding and only a “Normal Professorship.”
. He defeated Independent Democrat John B. Henderson
. Rollins was elected again in 1862, this time as a Unionist
, defeating Radical Republican Arnold Krekel.
During the Civil War
, Rollins remained a Unionist, and voted for most war measures in Congress. But his stands on slavery and African-American rights were more conservative than those of the dominant Republican Party. He opposed a measure allowing blacks and Indians to enlist in the war, on the basis that this policy would offend Southerners. He also stated that the Emancipation Proclamation
was legally void, and only defensible as a military necessity.
In Congress, Rollins introduced a bill to build a transcontinental railroad, passed as the Pacific Railway Acts
of 1862. He also advocated the Morrill Act of 1862, providing funding for state agricultural colleges.
Rollins’ support of the Thirteenth Amendment
to the Constitution, which abolished slavery, played a key part in its passage by Congress, sending the amendment to the states for ratification. The Senate passed the bill easily on its first vote on April 8, 1864, but the House defeated it twice in 1864 before passing it on January 31, 1865. Rollins initially voted against the bill. Shortly before the third vote, President Lincoln
personally asked Rollins to support the amendment, as necessary to preserve the Union. Rollins agreed to do so. On January 13, 1865, two days after the Missouri Constitutional Convention abolished slavery there, he spoke for the first time for the amendment, in a lengthy and persuasive speech to Congress. With Rollins’ support, the amendment passed with the required two-thirds majority with just two votes to spare.
candidate, George B. McClellan
. This signaled his preference for the party’s conservative stance on slavery and African-American equality, and recognized its shift from secessionism. In 1866, he was elected as a Democrat to the Missouri House of Representatives, and in 1868 to the State Senate. There, Rollins supported President Johnson's
mild Reconstruction policies, but did not strongly denounce Radical Republican efforts to develop more stringent policies, so as not to harm funding prospects for the University of Missouri.
Rollins’ support of business aligned with Republican policies, but his opposition to racial equality kept him from joining that party until after Reconstruction and Republicans stopped pushing for this. Now out of office, he broke with the Democrats in 1878 over their support of paper currency. He became a Republican, and remained one for the rest of his life.
While a legislator, Rollins focused on the University of Missouri. The state was not funding the school. The Civil War left the University in poor physical shape and with few students. The local fundraising in the original competition set a precedent for the State Legislature to ignore later requests for money. As a result, the campus was small, the students came mainly from Boone County, and the place seemed more like a county school than a state university.
As a legislator after the war, Rollins wrote, introduced, and helped pass several measures, which together financially stabilized the University of Missouri for the first time, and strengthened Columbia's hold on it:
. Bingham painted numerous portraits of Rollins family members, including several of Rollins himself. Rollins gave Bingham a boost early in his career by getting several people in Columbia to have him paint their portraits. He later helped Bingham get a commission to do portraits of Thomas Jefferson and George Washington for the Missouri State Capitol, and he helped finance printings of Bingham’s General Order No. 11. Late in Bingham’s life, Rollins helped him get a position as the University of Missouri’s first art professor.
Rollins and Bingham named sons after each other. Bingham frequently visited the Rollins home, sometimes staying for a month at a time. The two maintained a frequent correspondence for over forty-five years, until Bingham’s death, in which they discussed a variety of personal, social, and political issues.
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
politician and lawyer. He helped establish the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
, led the successful effort to get it located in Boone County
Boone County, Missouri
Boone County is a county centrally located in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the eighth most populous county in Missouri. In 2010, the population was 162,642. Its county seat, Columbia, is the fifth largest city in Missouri and the anchor city of the Columbia Metropolitan Area.-History:Boone...
, and gained funding for the University with the passage of a series of acts in the Missouri Legislature. For his efforts, he was named "Father of the University of Missouri."
As a border state
Border states (Civil War)
In the context of the American Civil War, the border states were slave states that did not declare their secession from the United States before April 1861...
Congressman, Rollins played a role in Congress's passage of the Thirteenth Amendment
Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution officially abolished and continues to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. It was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, passed by the House on January 31, 1865, and adopted on December 6, 1865. On...
abolishing slavery. He changed his vote to support the amendment, and spoke in favor of it. Rollins was a Whig
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
for the first 20 years of his political career. When that party broke up, he began a political transition, changing parties several times before becoming a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
late in his life. Rollins' lifelong support of business development was compatible with Republican policies, but his situation as a major slaveowner prevented him from joining the Republican Party until well after the Civil War.
Early years and family
Richmond, Kentucky
There were 10,795 households out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.6% were non-families. Of all households, 34.7% were made up of individuals and 8.8% had...
, in Madison County
Madison County, Kentucky
Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2008, the population was 82,192. Its county seat is Richmond. The county is named for Virginia statesman James Madison, who later became the fourth President of the United States. This is also where famous pioneer Daniel...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. His father, Anthony Wayne Rollins, a physician, was born in Pennsylvania of Scotch-Irish immigrant parents, and named for the Revolutionary War hero Anthony Wayne. His mother, Sarah Harris Rodes Rollins, was born in Virginia and was of English descent.
Rollins studied at Richmond Academy, attended Washington College (now Washington and Jefferson College) in Pennsylvania, and graduated from Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
in 1830. The Rollins family moved from Kentucky to Boone County, Missouri that same year. Rollins read law in the Columbia
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
office of Abiel Leonard for two years, while helping to manage his father’s farm. In 1832, Rollins enlisted in the Black Hawk War
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
, and was given the rank of Major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
. After the war, Rollins entered law school at Transylvania University
Transylvania University
Transylvania University is a private, undergraduate liberal arts college in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with the Christian Church . The school was founded in 1780. It offers 38 majors, and pre-professional degrees in engineering and accounting...
in Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, Kentucky. When he graduated in 1834, he was admitted to the bar, and began practicing in Columbia that same year.
Franklin, Missouri
Franklin is a city in Howard County, Missouri, United States. The population was 112 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.- Geography :Franklin is located at...
, in nearby Howard County, Missouri. They had 11 children, seven of whom survived to adulthood.
Early political career
Rollins began his political career as a Whig. His politics reflected his interest in business and resource development. In 1836, he purchased a Whig newspaper, the Columbia Patriot, which he edited for several years. That same year, he attended a railroad convention in St. Louis, where he was chosen to petition Congress for Missouri railroad land grants.Missouri legislator
Rollins was elected to the Missouri LegislatureMissouri General Assembly
The Missouri General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bicameral General Assembly is composed of a 34-member Senate, and a 163-member House of Representatives. Members of both houses of the General Assembly are subject to term limits...
in 1838, representing Boone County. He was elected Representative
Missouri House of Representatives
The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 31,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections held in even-numbered years.In 1992 Missouri...
in 1838, 1840, and 1854, and as a Senator
Missouri Senate
The Missouri State Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 160,000...
in 1846. He was a delegate to the 1844 Whig National Convention
1844 Whig National Convention
In 1844, the Whig Party met in Baltimore to nominate its candidates for U.S. President and U.S. Vice President. Ambrose Spencer was Chairman.President John Tyler had been expelled from the party and the delegates searched for a new nominee. They did not have to look far; the delegates nominated...
. He ran for Governor of Missouri in 1848 and 1857, but was defeated both times. Rollins was a Whig from 1836 to 1855, when the party dissolved in dissension over the Kansas-Nebraska Act
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, opening new lands for settlement, and had the effect of repealing the Missouri Compromise of 1820 by allowing settlers in those territories to determine through Popular Sovereignty if they would allow slavery within...
regarding the extension of slavery into territories and new states. As a large slaveholder in Missouri, Rollins was not an abolitionist, but he opposed both the extension of slavery and secession
Secession in the United States
Secession in the United States can refer to secession of a state from the United States, secession of part of a state from that state to form a new state, or secession of an area from a city or county....
.
When the Whig Party ended, Rollins began a political transition. He ran as an independent in his second try for governor, supported by Know-Nothings, Thomas Hart Benton
Thomas Hart Benton (senator)
Thomas Hart Benton , nicknamed "Old Bullion", was a U.S. Senator from Missouri and a staunch advocate of westward expansion of the United States. He served in the Senate from 1821 to 1851, becoming the first member of that body to serve five terms...
Democrats, and remnants of the Whigs. He lost to Democrat Robert M. Stewart by 334 votes. When he was not in the Missouri Legislature, Rollins developed his law practice in Columbia, despite ambivalence about the monotony of a legal career.
Establishment of the University of Missouri
The first bill that Rollins drafted as a State Representative was to locate the University of Missouri. The bill directed that the University be located in one of six counties in the central part of the state along the Missouri RiverMissouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
: Boone, Callaway
Callaway County, Missouri
Callaway County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 44,332. Its county seat is Fulton. The county was organized in 1820. It was named for Capt. James Callaway, a grandson of...
, Cole, Cooper
Cooper County, Missouri
Cooper County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. In 2010, the population was 17,601. Its county seat is Boonville. The county was organized in 1818 and is named for Sarshall Cooper, a frontier settler who was killed by Indians near Arrow Rock in 1814.-Geography:According to the 2000...
, Howard, and Saline Counties. Cole and Howard County legislators had hoped to secure the University for their counties by direct legislation, but Rollins' bill passed on February 8, 1839. Three days later, the Geyer Act
Geyer Act
The Geyer Act of 1839 was an act of the Missouri State Legislature which established the public school system of Missouri as well as the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. The act was introduced by congressman James S. Rollins from Boone County and named after its author, Henry Geyer...
, introduced by Henry Geyer of St. Louis, passed, officially incorporating the University of Missouri.
Rollins’ act directed that the county that raised the most money would be awarded the University. Rollins himself made a significant donation, and put considerable effort into raising subscriptions from fellow Boone County residents. The competition was most intense among Boone, Callaway, and Howard Counties. When state commissioners visited Howard County, Rollins was there. After learning that Howard County had increased the appraised value of land donated in the competition, Rollins sold 222 acre (0.89840292 km²) of his own land to Boone County for $25 an acre. Boone County in turn appraised the land at $75 an acre in its bid. The $117,921 raised by Boone County was the highest amount, and won the University.
Rollins’ efforts to support the University of Missouri met with limited success before the Civil War. As Senator, he drafted a report in 1847 which proposed state funding for the school and a professorship for advanced studies in “Theory and Practice of Teaching.” The Senate passed a version two years later, providing no funding and only a “Normal Professorship.”
U.S. Representative and the Thirteenth Amendment
Rollins was elected to Congress in 1860 as a Constitutional UnionistConstitutional Union Party (United States)
The Constitutional Union Party was a political party in the United States created in 1860. It was made up of conservative former Whigs who wanted to avoid disunion over the slavery issue...
. He defeated Independent Democrat John B. Henderson
John B. Henderson
John Brooks Henderson was a United States Senator from Missouri and a co-author of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution....
. Rollins was elected again in 1862, this time as a Unionist
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
, defeating Radical Republican Arnold Krekel.
During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Rollins remained a Unionist, and voted for most war measures in Congress. But his stands on slavery and African-American rights were more conservative than those of the dominant Republican Party. He opposed a measure allowing blacks and Indians to enlist in the war, on the basis that this policy would offend Southerners. He also stated that the Emancipation Proclamation
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation is an executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War using his war powers. It proclaimed the freedom of 3.1 million of the nation's 4 million slaves, and immediately freed 50,000 of them, with nearly...
was legally void, and only defensible as a military necessity.
In Congress, Rollins introduced a bill to build a transcontinental railroad, passed as the Pacific Railway Acts
Pacific Railway Acts
The Pacific Railroad Acts were a series of acts of Congress that promoted the construction of the transcontinental railroad in the United States through authorizing the issuance of government bonds and the grants of land to railroad companies. The Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 was the original act...
of 1862. He also advocated the Morrill Act of 1862, providing funding for state agricultural colleges.
Rollins’ support of the Thirteenth Amendment
Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution officially abolished and continues to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. It was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, passed by the House on January 31, 1865, and adopted on December 6, 1865. On...
to the Constitution, which abolished slavery, played a key part in its passage by Congress, sending the amendment to the states for ratification. The Senate passed the bill easily on its first vote on April 8, 1864, but the House defeated it twice in 1864 before passing it on January 31, 1865. Rollins initially voted against the bill. Shortly before the third vote, President Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
personally asked Rollins to support the amendment, as necessary to preserve the Union. Rollins agreed to do so. On January 13, 1865, two days after the Missouri Constitutional Convention abolished slavery there, he spoke for the first time for the amendment, in a lengthy and persuasive speech to Congress. With Rollins’ support, the amendment passed with the required two-thirds majority with just two votes to spare.
Later political career
Rollins did not run for Congress in 1864, but returned to Columbia. In that year's presidential election, he endorsed the Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
candidate, George B. McClellan
George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
. This signaled his preference for the party’s conservative stance on slavery and African-American equality, and recognized its shift from secessionism. In 1866, he was elected as a Democrat to the Missouri House of Representatives, and in 1868 to the State Senate. There, Rollins supported President Johnson's
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
mild Reconstruction policies, but did not strongly denounce Radical Republican efforts to develop more stringent policies, so as not to harm funding prospects for the University of Missouri.
Rollins’ support of business aligned with Republican policies, but his opposition to racial equality kept him from joining that party until after Reconstruction and Republicans stopped pushing for this. Now out of office, he broke with the Democrats in 1878 over their support of paper currency. He became a Republican, and remained one for the rest of his life.
While a legislator, Rollins focused on the University of Missouri. The state was not funding the school. The Civil War left the University in poor physical shape and with few students. The local fundraising in the original competition set a precedent for the State Legislature to ignore later requests for money. As a result, the campus was small, the students came mainly from Boone County, and the place seemed more like a county school than a state university.
As a legislator after the war, Rollins wrote, introduced, and helped pass several measures, which together financially stabilized the University of Missouri for the first time, and strengthened Columbia's hold on it:
- Appropriation of $10,000 for a new President's House, and $16,000 per year for general funding (1867).
- Establishment of Normal Department to train school teachers (1867).
- Establishment of Agricultural and Mechanical College. Concessions to get the bill passed required Boone County to contribute money for the new college, and located the new Missouri School of Mines in RollaRolla, MissouriRolla is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States, midway between the larger cities of St. Louis and Springfield along I-44. The population in the 2010 United States Census was 19,559.It is the county seat of Phelps County...
, not in Columbia (1870). - Investment of $122,000 from state sales of "seminary lands" for higher education, as authorized by the Federal Government (1870). This money was augmented with a similar act in 1883.
- Issue of $166,000 in bonds to build the new School of Mines at Rolla (called Missouri University of Science and TechnologyMissouri University of Science and TechnologyMissouri University of Science and Technology is an institution of higher learning located in Rolla, Missouri, United States, and part of the University of Missouri System...
as of 2008), liquidate University debt, complete the Science Building (called Switzler HallSwitzler HallSwitzler Hall is an academic hall on the campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. The building was completed in 1872, and it is located on the west side of the David R. Francis Quadrangle. Switzler Hall is the oldest academic building and second oldest structure on campus after...
as of 2008), and add to the University's permanent endowment (1872). - Setting maximum University tuition at 10 dollars, making college easily affordable for most students (1872).
Father of the University of Missouri
When Rollins returned to Columbia after the 1872 legislative session, students assembled and adopted resolutions thanking him for his work on the University’s behalf. The faculty issued a similar statement. The Board of Curators passed resolutions on May 9, 1872 giving Rollins the honorary title of “Pater Universitatis Missouriensis” (“Father of the University of Missouri”).University of Missouri Board of Curators President
Rollins was first named to the Board of Curators, the University's governing body, in 1847. He held the position until 1848, when the State Legislature removed the entire Board. He again joined the Board in 1869, and was elected its President that same year. He held the position until ill health forced his resignation in 1886.Friendship with George Caleb Bingham
Among his many acquaintances, Rollins had a lifelong friendship with artist and politician George Caleb BinghamGeorge Caleb Bingham
George Caleb Bingham was an American artist whose paintings of American life in the frontier lands along the Missouri River exemplify the Luminist style. Left to languish in obscurity, Bingham's work was rediscovered in the 1930s...
. Bingham painted numerous portraits of Rollins family members, including several of Rollins himself. Rollins gave Bingham a boost early in his career by getting several people in Columbia to have him paint their portraits. He later helped Bingham get a commission to do portraits of Thomas Jefferson and George Washington for the Missouri State Capitol, and he helped finance printings of Bingham’s General Order No. 11. Late in Bingham’s life, Rollins helped him get a position as the University of Missouri’s first art professor.
Rollins and Bingham named sons after each other. Bingham frequently visited the Rollins home, sometimes staying for a month at a time. The two maintained a frequent correspondence for over forty-five years, until Bingham’s death, in which they discussed a variety of personal, social, and political issues.
Death
In 1874, Rollins was injured in a train wreck while traveling to St. Louis. He was bedridden for several months, and although he recovered to live 14 more years, he never fully regained his strength. Rollins died on January 9, 1888 in Columbia, Missouri. He is buried there at Columbia Cemetery.See also
- Rollins, Curtis B., comp., “Letters of George Caleb Bingham to James S. Rollins,” in Missouri Historical Review Vols. XXXII, Nos. 1-4 and XXXIII, Nos. 1-4 (eight part series, October 1937-July 1939).
- Wood, James M., James Sidney Rollins of Missouri; A Political Biography (1951). Thesis (Ph.D.), Stanford University.
External links
Retrieved on 2009-04-28- James S. Rollins (1812-1888), Papers at Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Columbia/University of Missouri. Online index includes biographical sketch and discussion of his correspondence.