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James H. Cummings, the son of John Morgan and Lula Land Cummings, was born on November 8, 1890, in Cannon County, Tennessee. He attended Cannon County public schools and later matriculated at Woodbury Academy and Chattanooga Business College. In 1910, at the age of 20, while working as a clerk in the State Comptroller’s Office in Nashville, Cummings enrolled in night classes at the YMCA Law School. He eventually earned his LL.B. degree in 1923 from Cumberland College. Cummings left Tennessee in 1925 and worked in Florida
for two years as a land developer. In 1927, her returned to Tennessee and
launched a campaign for state legislature. Cummings won the 1928 election
and served in the Tennessee General Assembly from 1929 to1948. In 1949,
Governor Gordon Browning appointed Cummings Secretary of State, a position
that he held through1952. In 1953, Cummings returned to the General
Assembly and continued to serve until his retirement in 1972. During the
years 1967-1969, Cummings served as Speaker of the House. |
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