James Bolitho
(1859-1950)

18th District Representative

Republican

No

36

August 31, 1859

Galena, Jo Daviess, Illinois, United States

July 19, 1950

Mary Kansas Lewis (1860-1938) Married September 1, 1880

Railroad Engineer

James Marion Bolitho grew up working on his family farm in Iowa. As a young adult, he became involved in railroading, working his way to a trusted engineer. He and his wife Mary Kansas Lewis (1860-1938) moved to Utah in 1889, where he worked for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. Apart from railroading, Bolitho found success in several ventures, including owning a hardware shop, cattle ranching, farming, mining, and president of the Richfield Creamery. Before moving to Utah, Bolitho served on the city council of Boone, Iowa. Later, he similarly served on the Richfield City Council in Utah. He continued to be active in administrative affairs throughout his life.

As “a strong Republican and a shrewd and hard worker,” Bolitho authored several successful bills during his time as a state representative (Drumm 1896, 77). The most famous was the anti-combine bill. Among others, he worked on a land bill, along with bills to prevent the fraudulent sale of livestock and the blacklisting of discharged employees.

Drumm, Mark. "The Bee Hive State." Drumm's Manual of Utah, and Souvenir of the First State Legislature, 1896. Hathi Trust Digital Library. Salt Lake City, Utah: M. Drumm, 1896. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/hvd.hx4jb7.

Newell, Linda King. A History of Piute County. Salt Lake City, Utah: Utah State Historical Society, 1999. https://digitallibrary.utah.gov/awweb/awarchive?type=file&item=34351.

Image of James Bolitho by courtesy of HathiTrust Cropped from page 68 of Drumm, Mark. "The Bee Hive State." Drumm's Manual of Utah, and Souvenir of the First State Legislature, 1896. Hathi Trust Digital Library. Salt Lake City, Utah: M. Drumm, 1896. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/hvd.hx4jb7?urlappend=%3Bseq=74