James Albert Gary was born on October 22, 1833, in Uncasville, Connecticut. He was the son of James Sullivan and Pamelia (Forrist) Gary. He was descended from John Gary who emigrated from England in 1712 and settled in New Hampshire.
The father, with a background of experience in New England cotton-mills, in 1838 moved his family to Maryland.
Young James was educated at the Rockhill Institute, Ellicott City, Maryland, and at Allegheny College (B. A. , 1854).
From the age of thirteen, Gary worked six months of the year in his father’s factory. In 1859, he entered a partnership with his father under the name of James S. Gary & Son, and the business continued to expand, doubling its capacity after the floods of 1866 and 1868.
In 1870, upon the death of his father, he took over the entire management of the firm. Later, he moved to Baltimore, where he became president of the Citizens National Bank and of the Merchants & Manufacturers Association, vice-president of the Consolidated Gas Company, and director of several financial institutions.
He was also for some time chairman of the board of trustees of the Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church and of the Enoch Pratt Free Library.
Before the Civil War, he had worked with the Whigs, who had in 1858 nominated him for the state Senate, without success. Throughout the war he supported the Unionist party. In 1870 and in 1872, he was defeated as the Republican candidate for representative in Congress for the 5th district.
In 1879, he made an active campaign as the Republican candidate for governor, but was defeated. In the Republican conventions, state and national, from 1872 to 1896, Gary had great influence.
In 1872, he was elected chairman of the state delegation over the opposition of J. A. J. Creswell, the state boss; in 1876, he swung to Hayes on the second ballot and thereafter was an intimate of both President Hayes and Secretary Sherman.
In 1883, he became chairman of the state central committee. In 1884, he supported Arthur for the nomination until almost the end. Four years later, he swung from Sherman to Harrison and controlled considerable patronage under the administration of the latter, whom he supported for renomination in 1892.
In 1896, he withdrew as national committeeman, but was made a member of the finance committee. As a result of his activities in the election, McKinley made him postmaster-general in 1897.
Ten pages of his annual report were devoted to arguments in behalf of postal savings, in which he said he had been interested for many years. Shortly after the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, he resigned, fearing the strain on his health and not wishing to give up his business connections.
His death occurred at his home in Baltimore.
Gary was a co-owner of James S. Gary & Son. In Baltimore, he was president of the Citizens National Bank and of the Merchants & Manufacturers Association, vice-president of the Consolidated Gas Company. He also contributed to the construction of a church in Daniels, MD, which was later named in his honor: Gary Memorial United Methodist Church.
Gary was a prominent member of Baltimore's prestigious Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church.
In his later life, Gary’s chief interest, aside from his business, was the Republican party, which he supported consistently.
He supported Sherman for the presidential nomination, but later swung most of the Maryland delegates to Garfield. Under Garfield and Arthur his influence was lessened, but he still controlled appointments of the Baltimore postmaster and some positions in the customs house.
In 1880, Gary was elected national committeeman.
In 1856, Gary was married to Lavinia W. Corrie, by whom he had a son and seven daughters.
