James Ray McCorkle Bryant

James Ray McCorkle Bryant was born on June 25, 1802 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Gray and Wylie’s Academy and the University of Pennsylvania. He worked as a clerk in the U.S. General Land Office in Washington D.C. from 1821 to 1835. He also studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1835. After his admission to the bar, he moved to Montgomery County, Indiana. He represented Montgomery County in the Indiana House of Representatives from 1838 to 1839. In 1843, he moved to Warren County, Indiana and served in the Indiana House of Representatives from Warren County for the 1847-48 session, the 1848-49 session, and the 1851-52 session. He also was a delegate to the Indiana Constitutional Convention from 1850 to 1851. In 1855, he was appointed a trustee of Indiana University, and in 1856, he was appointed professor of law. Professor Bryant served as Indiana University’s professor of law until 1861. With the outbreak of the Civil War, he left the University and enlisted in the army. He served in the original 10th Indiana Volunteers (3-month enlistment), first as a captain and then promoted to lieutenant colonel. He was wounded at the Battle of Rich Mountain, Virginia (now West Virginia) on July 11, 1861. He mustered out of the army on August 8, 1861 in Indianapolis, and eventually died of his wounds at home in Williamsport, Warren County, Indiana on February 25, 1866. He was interred in the Hillside Cemetery, Williamsport, Indiana.https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/formerfaculty/1062/thumbnail.jp