James B. Thomas, Jr.
(1806-1882)
President of the Board of Trustees, Richmond College, 1872-1873, 1880-1882
Born in Caroline County, Virginia, James B. Thomas Jr. acquired his formal education at neighborhood schools in his home community and never attended college. As a youth, he came to Richmond and found employment. He was a steadfast friend, wise counselor and liberal benefactor to Richmond College in its formative years. Thomas led the trustees of Richmond College for nearly half a century and gave his time and resources to ensure the continuation of the college, especially through the lean times following the civil war. It was said of him that, next to his family and his church, he loved Richmond College best. In 1893, Mr. Thomas received an honorary doctor of divinity degree from the College.
About 1830, Mr. Thomas began manufacturing tobacco with capital of $600. His business grew, and he became the leading tobacconist in the area, with factories in Richmond, Danville and Lynchburg, as well as a warehouse in Asheville, North Carolina, and several farms. He was one of the first millionaires in Richmond.
Thomas equipped, at his own expense, a battery of artillery for the Confederate Army, which bore his name. He was one of the signers of the bail-bond for Jefferson Davis in 1867.
In 1881, Thomas endowed the James Thomas Jr. Professorship of Philosophy at Richmond College. The James Thomas Lecture Fund was established as a memorial to Thomas by his family in 1885. Thomas Memorial Hall, a residence hall on the University of Richmond campus, was named for him.
Thomas’s son, William D. Thomas, was a professor of philosophy at Richmond College.