James W. Ballantine

Ballantine was born on February 15, 1839, in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, the son of Nathaniel and Sarah Wallace Ballantine, who had immigrated from Scotland in 1825. He assisted his merchant father in his business until he enlisted in the 9th Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment in April 1861. After the 9th regiment mustered out in May 1864, he enlisted in the 193rd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He served with the Army of the Potomac for three years, received a gunshot wound to the thigh, and was captured at and held captive for two months following the Second Battle of Bull Run. After the end of the Civil War, he returned to Pennsylvania and engaged in the oil refining business near Pittsburgh until 1883. He was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives as a Republican for the 1872 and 1873 terms, representing Allegheny County.{{cite book|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101074863331&seq=599|title=An Illustrated History of the State of Idaho|year=1899|publisher=The Lewis Publishing Company|pages=413–414}}{{cite web|url=https://archives.house.state.pa.us/people/member-biography?ID=7276|title=James W. Ballantine|work=Archives of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives|year=2015}}

As the Pennsylvania oil rush petered out and Standard Oil consolidated power in the industry, Ballantine followed the gold rush out of the Idaho Territory's Wood River Valley in 1883. After two years of managing the mining and smelting operations of a company, he turned his attention to mine investment and cattle ranching, becoming one of the most prominent merchants in the region. In 1889, he was selected to represent Alturas County at the Idaho Constitutional Convention, serving as a Republican, and he is a signatory of the state constitution.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/idaho-semi-weekly-world/127006737/|title=Delegates to the Constitutional Convention|work=Idaho Semi-Weekly World|date=July 12, 1889}} In 1892, he switched his political allegiance to the Populist Party, and was elected to the Idaho House of Representatives to represent Alturas County. He retired from that body in 1894, having received the Populist nomination for governor. He came in second in that race, losing to incumbent William J. McConnell. In 1896, he was elected to the Idaho Senate to represent newly formed Blaine County. In January 1897, as Populists and Democrats struggled to unite behind a candidate for U.S. Senate, Ballantine was the candidate of the Populists on the twelfth through fifteenth ballots. However, Democrats did not unite behind Ballantine, and ultimately his fellow Populist state senator Henry Heitfeld was elected.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/722231622/|title=Again Fail to Elect|work=Idaho Daily Statesman|date=January 21, 1897}}{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/722231661/|title=Two Ballots Taken|work=Idaho Daily Statesman|date=January 22, 1897}}{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/722231959/|title=Henry Heitfeld Elected|work=Idaho Daily Statesman|date=January 29, 1897}}

Ballantine did not stand for reelection in 1898, but was again elected as the state senator for Blaine County in 1900 and 1902. He served as president pro tempore of that body for the 1901–1902 session.{{cite book|url=https://sos.idaho.gov/blue_book/2023/BlueBook_2023_2024.pdf|title=Idaho Blue Book|year=2023|author=Idaho Secretary of State}} Ballantine was selected as a delegate to the national Populist convention in 1900{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/idaho-county-free-press/154224728/|title=Fusion a Certainty|work=Idaho County Free Press|date=March 30, 1900}} and he received the party's nomination for governor in July of that year,{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-weiser-semi-weekly-signal/154224985/|title=Three Tickets in the Field|work=The Weiser Semi-Weekly Signal|date=July 26, 1900}} but he withdrew from the election in order to fuse the Populists' ticket with the Democrats' ticket.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/722061594/|title=Plan to Force Populist Hands|work=Idaho Daily Statesman|date=August 29, 1900}}{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/722062449/|title=Patrie Rejects Filings of Pops|work=Idaho Daily Statesman|date=September 30, 1900}} He was the Democratic candidate for mayor of Bellevue in 1904, losing by one vote,{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/722043882/|title=Colonel Ballantine Loses|work=Idaho Daily Statesman|date=April 6, 1904}} and again in 1905, winning by one vote.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/722351694/|title=Bellevue Election Settled|work=Idaho Daily Statesman|date=April 21, 1905}} He was a delegate to his new party's national convention in 1904,{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/722043882/|title=Idaho Democrats Indorse Hearst|work=The Silver Blade|date=June 10, 1904}} and he became a member of the Democratic state committee in 1906. In 1906, he was the Democratic candidate to be senator from Blaine County, but he lost to Reginald F. Buller.

He was appointed by Governor Frank W. Hunt to the board of directors of the Blackfoot Insane Asylum in 1901 for a term of two years.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/blackfoot-news/154230943/|title=Asylum Directors|work=BLackfoot News|date=March 9, 1901}} In 1906, he was a delegate to the National Irrigation Congress,{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/722365064/|title=Delegates to the Irrigation Congress From Many States|work=Idaho Daily Statesman|date=July 22, 1906}} and he was president of the Bellevue State Bank when it opened that December.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/722357349/|title=News From Idaho Towns|work=Idaho Daily Statesman|date=December 14, 1906}}

Ballantine married Lena McIntyre in 1865, and they had one daughter, Carrie, who died before they came to Idaho. He died of heart disease in Bellevue, Idaho, on January 5, 1907.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-idaho-statesman/127490022/|title=J. W. Ballantine Dies Suddenly|work=Idaho Daily Statesman|date=January 6, 1907}}

{{Election box begin no change | title = 1892 Idaho House of Representatives election in Alturas County{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wood-river-times/154141605/|title=Returns of the Election Held in Alturas County Nov. 8th, 1892|work=Wood River Times|date=November 17, 1892}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=People's Party (United States)|candidate=George J. Lewis|votes=439|percentage=24.6%}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=People's Party (United States)|candidate=James W. Ballantine|votes=408|percentage = 22.9%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=John Condron|votes=269|percentage=15.1%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Presley M. Bruner|votes=266|percentage=14.9%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=George E. Ferris|votes=248|percentage=13.9%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Walter Scott Myers|votes=153|percentage=8.6%}}

{{Election box total no change|votes=1783|percentage=100.0%}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change | title = 1894 Idaho gubernatorial election{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i_I7AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA233|title=History of Idaho|volume=1|page=233|last=Hawley|first=James H.|author-link=James H. Hawley|year=1920}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=William J. McConnell (incumbent)|votes=10208|percentage=41.5%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=People's Party (United States)|candidate=James W. Ballantine|votes=7121|percentage=29.0%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Edward A. Stevenson|votes=7057|percentage=28.7%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Prohibition Party|candidate=Henry C. McFarland|votes=205|percentage=0.8%}}

{{Election box total no change|votes=24591|percentage=100.0%}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change | title = 1896 Idaho Senate election in Blaine County{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-ketchum-keystone/154145264/|title=Election Returns|work=The Ketchum Keystone|date=November 7, 1896}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate no change|party=Populist-Democratic|candidate=James W. Ballantine|votes=|percentage=%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Silver Republican Party|candidate=Lyttleton Price|votes=|percentage=%}}

{{Election box total no change|votes=|percentage=100.0%}}

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{{Election box begin no change | title = 1900 Idaho Senate election in Blaine County{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-emmett-index/154147318/|title=Idaho Fusion Forces Triumph|work=The Emmett Index|date=November 9, 1900}}{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/lewiston-daily-teller/154147220/|title=A Grand Rally|work=Lewiston Daily Teller|date=September 13, 1900}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate no change|party=Populist-Democratic|candidate=James W. Ballantine|votes=|percentage=%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Presley M. Bruner|votes=|percentage=%}}

{{Election box total no change|votes=|percentage=100.0%}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change | title = 1902 Idaho Senate election in Blaine County{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/722055604/|title=Results of the Election|work=Idaho Daily Statesman|date=November 15, 1902}}{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/722053970/|title=Blaine County Republican Ticket|work=Idaho Daily Statesman|date=September 18, 1902}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate no change|party=Populist-Democratic|candidate=James W. Ballantine (incumbent)|votes=|percentage=%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=James A. Lusk|votes=|percentage=%}}

{{Election box total no change|votes=|percentage=100.0%}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change | title = 1906 Idaho Senate election in Blaine County{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/lewiston-evening-teller/154230114/|title=Idaho's New Legislators|work=Lewiston Evening Teller|date=November 15, 1906}}{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-silver-messenger/154230253/|title=Blaine County Democrats|work=The Silver Messenger|date=October 9, 1906}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Reginald F. Buller|votes=|percentage=%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=James W. Ballantine|votes=|percentage=%}}

{{Election box total no change|votes=|percentage=100.0%}}

{{Election box end}}

{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ballantine, James W.}}

Category:1839 births

Category:1907 deaths

Category:Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Category:Members of the Idaho Constitutional Convention

Category:Members of the Idaho House of Representatives

Category:Idaho state senators

Category:People from Canonsburg, Pennsylvania

Category:People from Bellevue, Idaho

Category:Union army soldiers

Category:20th-century members of the Idaho Legislature