James Love (Kentucky politician)

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James Love (May 12, 1795 – June 12, 1874) was a lawyer and politician who started in Kentucky and later moved to Texas. He grew up in Bardstown, Kentucky, and volunteered for the War of 1812 at age 18. After the war, he studied law and began practicing in Barbourville, Kentucky.

Love served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1819 to 1831. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as an Anti-Jacksonian for Kentucky’s 9th district, serving from March 4, 1833, to March 3, 1835. He did not seek renomination.

In 1837 he moved to Galveston, Texas. He helped shape Texas history by representing Galveston at the constitutional convention of 1846 and became the first judge of the Galveston district. He later resigned to work as a clerk for the U.S. court and stayed in that role until the Civil War began.

During the Civil War, Love served for two years with the Terry Rangers. After the war, he was elected the first judge of the Galveston and Harris County Criminal Court, but he was removed from office by the military commander.

James Love died in Galveston, Texas, on June 12, 1874, and was buried in the Episcopal Cemetery there.