Biographies: Judge James T. Wallace, 1932, Winn Parish, LA Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** From: April 15, 1932 Winn Parish Enterprise or Winnfield News-American Passing In Review This Week We Have James T. Wallace by R. W. Oglesby James T. Wallace In 1903, Judge Wallace as he was called by everyone was at the zenith of power and influence in Winn Parish. He was very attractive in his personal appearance, walked erect, and invariably carried a heavy walking cane, although he did not need it in getting about. I suppose it was just a habit. He was blessed with a large amount of native ability, for what he knew, he picked it up himself. He came on just after the Civil War when there were no schools, but he applied himself diligently to the study of such books as came into his hands and mastered them. He had a retentive memory and once he learned a poem he could quote it without a moments hesitation. He had a very large family and how in the world he ever fed, clothed, and educated them has been a mystery. The old time folks had a way of doing those things, however, in spite of all the difficulties they encountered. He was a natural leader in church, civic, and political affairs for many years. He was at various times tax assessor, superintendent of schools, and senator for his district. It is said that while he was superintendent he advanced and advocated sight reading, which is now universally used, instead of first learning the alphabet by rote. In order to convince the people of Winn Parish that he was right he took his young son George, who is now secretary to the Governor, and soon to be the first assistant Attorney General of the state, and who was then less than five years of age, around over the parish in his visits to the different schools and demonstrated sight reading by that bright young chap by the use of a chart he carried along with him. This was hardly a fair test, for George was away above the ordinary in intelligence, and still is for that matter, but he put it across in great shape. While attending his various official duties he studied law and was admitted to the bar. This widened the scope of his influence and he practiced his possession all over north Louisiana. He was successful in his profession and about 1900 built a find home on what is now known as Laurel Heights with all the modern conveniences which was soon destroyed by fire and he then built in town a commodious residence which is still standing in which he and his good wife both passed away, he in about 1907 and she in 1931. His son, Judge W. M. Wallace of Shreveport, who never tires of talking about his father, told me once how he, his brother, Tom, who passed away before I came to Winnfield, had gone to Montgomery to get a load of freight. All of the merchandise used at Winnfield then came by boat up Red River to either St. Maurice or Montgomery, and the Wallace boys made regular trips to with a yoke of oxen. On this occasion a steamboat had sunk which was loaded with merchandise. All that could be salvaged belonged to the one who salvaged it. Will and Tom hired them a negro to help and all night they swam back and forth and saved enough goods to pay a large account which their father owed, buy a new wagon, and brought home something like $500 and passed it over to their good father who, upon learning how they had acquired it, shed tears of gratitude for the nobleness of his sons who had risked their lives and toiled all night for him. Will said that was the happiest moment of his life. Judge Wallace was enterprising and far seeing. He realized that this country could never prosper without railroads and bent every energy in his command to induce railroads to build in here, advocating special taxes for that purpose. He had the pleasure of seeing four railroads centering in Winnfield before he passed away. He was likewise one of the first good roads advocates and was chairman of the committee that prevailed on the Police Jury to spend about $10,000 to build a road across Dugdemonia east of Winnfield where the magnificent concrete causeway is now located and which gave the people living in the eastern part of the parish a way to get to Winnfield twelve months instead of about three a year, without having to be ferried across in Uncle Bob Gorham's flat boat. He builded better than he knew and passed on without enjoying the fruits of his labors except for the consciousness of knowing what it meant to the future generations. A pioneer crossed a turbulent and dangerous stream. After he got over he stopped long enough to build a bridge. Someone asked him why he did that after he was safely across. He replied "I am building it for others who may come this way."