Jim Justice II

Ancestors

Preceded by 35th Governor Earl Ray Tomblin

Jim Justice 36th Governor of West Virginia 2017—Incumbent

Succeeded by

Biography

James Conley Justice II (born April 27, 1951) is an American businessman and politician who has served as the 36th governor of West Virginia since 2017.

James was born in 1951. ^[1] He is the son of James Justice and Edna Perry. He is married to Cathy Leigh Comer. They have two children. He stands 6-foot-7 (2.01 m) tall. In 2022, he is considered the richest person that lives in the State of West Virginia. ^[2] Justice makes his money from corn, timber and coal.

Justice was born in Charleston, West Virginia but grew up in Raleigh County, West Virginia. As an avid golfer, he received an athletic scholarship at the University of Tennessee for golf. Justice transferred to Marshall University to finish his bachelor's degree while also a two-year captain on the Thundering Herd golf team. He earned his bachelor's degree and Master of Business Administration from Marshall University.

After college, Justice entered the family agriculture business. He founded Bluestone Farms in 1977, which now operates 50,000 acres (20,000 ha) of farmland, and is the leading producer of grain on the East Coast of the United States. After his father's death in 1993, Justice inherited ownership of Bluestone Industries and Bluestone Coal Corporation. His business operations currently include numerous businesses, including Christmas tree farms, cotton gins, turf grass operations, and golf courses. He bought the Resort at Glade Springs in 2010 and the Black Knight Country Club in Beckley in 2011. In 2010, Justice’s company purchased 4,500 acres in Albemarle County, Virginia and in 2011, the company bought the historic Flowerdew Hundred plantation, the site of one of the earliest English settlements in America, on the James River, Virginia. In 2012, Justice purchased Wintergreen Resort near Charlottesville, Virginia. ^[3]

In May 2009, Justice bought the famed Greenbrier Resort for $20.5 million and prevented it from going into bankruptcy. ^[4]

In May 2015, Jim announced his campaign to seek the office of governor of West Virginia as a Democrat. ^[5] After 19 months on the campaign trail sharing his vision for transforming West Virginia, Jim was elected the 36th governor of West Virginia. He won with a broad coalition of support from Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. Approximately six months into his Governorship, Justice switched to the Republican party and won reelection in 2020. ^[6]. Justice has been quoted as saying, "Political Party doesn't matter to me." ^[7]

Justice is extremely active in coaching basketball in his home town of Lewisburg, West Virginia. He served as president and coach of the Beckley Little League. He has been the girls basketball coach at Greenbrier East High School since 2003 and in 2011, he became the head coach for the boys basketball teams, the only coach at the AAA level in the state doing both girls and boys basketball.

"There are three things I know that I can do, and that's shoot a shotgun, make a deal, and coach basketball. I'm excited about it." - Jim Justice

Gov Justice and Babydog

Justice is also well known for his love of his bulldog, Babydog. During the Covid health crisis, Justice encouraged West Virginians to get vaccinated with the slogan "Do It for Babydog", referring to his dog. ^[8][9]

Sources

1. ↑ US Index to Public Records, 1994-2019: "U.S., Index to Public Records, 1994-2019"
   Voter Registration Lists, Public Record Filings, Historical Residential Records, and Other Household Database Listings
   Ancestry Record 62209 #10406861 (accessed 1 December 2022)
   Name: James C Justice II [James Justice III] [James D Justice II] [James M Justice II]; Birth Date: Apr 1951; Residence Date: 2003-2020; Address: 302 S Jefferson St; Residence: Roanoke, Virginia, USA; Postal Code: 24011; Second Residence Date: 2007-2020; Second Address: 304 Sheliah CT; Second Residence: Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Second Postal Code: 24060; Third Residence Date: 2003-2019; Third Address: 10988 Hwy 301; Third Residence: Gable, South Carolina, USA; Third Postal Code: 29051; Fourth Residence Date: 1997-2019; Fourth Address: 818 Eisenhower Dr; Fourth Residence: Beckley, West Virginia, USA; Fourth Postal Code: 25801.
2. ↑ Jim Justice, II, Forbes List of Billionaires (accessed on 1st December, 2022)
3. ↑ Jim Justice Biography, West Virginia Encyclopedia. (accessed on 1st December, 2022)
4. ↑ Tucker, Neely (March 6, 2011). "W.Va. billionaire Jim Justice's mission to restore the Greenbrier resort". Washington Post. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
5. ↑ Jim Justice enters WV Governors race, West Virginia Gazette, Eyre, Eric (May 11, 2015). "Greenbrier owner Jim Justice enters governor's race". The Charleston Gazette. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
6. ↑ "West Virginia Governor Results: Jim Justice Wins". The New York Times. August 1, 2017. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 1, 2022
7. ↑ Jim Justice switches to Republican Party, Fox News. (accessed on 1st December, 2022)
8. ↑ Do It for BabyDog, Covid Shot Campaign.
9. ↑ Do it for Babydog Coronavirus Vaccination flyer

See Also:

• Wikipedia: Governor Jim Justice
• Wikidata: Item Q20684288, en:Wikipedia
• Governor Jim Justice, II, Official West Virginia Governor page. (accessed on 1st December, 2022)
• Joyful Night speech by Gov Jim Justice with Babydog