Career
A former laborer and union leader, James initially ran for the Ohio House of Representatives in 1966, following the Voting Rights Acting of 1965. By 1975, James was serving as the Chairman of the Economic Development and Small Business Committee. Following the establishment of term limits in 1992, James was ineligible to run again following 2000.
He left the House in 2000, after 34 years in the legislature, making him the longest serving Democrat in the history of the Ohio General Assembly.
Retiring to Cleveland, he died in 2007. In 2003 Interstate 490 in Cleveland was named the Troy Lee James Highway.