Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1904-06-01

Venerable Editor Passes Peacefully Away ai
His Homo 10 GreenyIs.

Col. James a Hoyt, edtor of the
Greenyille Mountaineer and former can
didate for the GovernorsbiIy died Nav
9th at his homo on Acadeny street In
9rcen7ille. Not many particulars Of
his death are ayailable. He hd been iu
failing health for several webs. but NO
one outside of his immediae family
knew that his illness was moe than Z
temporary indisposition. s
Col. Hoyt has Que brother, T,omas n
Hoyt, who now lives In GeolSia. HI
has three sisters, all living. Mnl Disse.
ker, OF Spartanburg; Mrs. Beard, Of
Greenville, and Miss Annie Lou Hoyt,
who lived with him at his home or
Academy street. Col. Hoyt is survived
by Mrs. Hoyt and four children, one sor
and three daughters. james, A. Hoyt
Jr., is city editor of the Columbia State
and ia married. The daughteB are Mrs
A. G.. Furman, Miss Gertrude Hoyt and
Miss Lucy Hoyt, all of GreenIlle. 1t ID
stated that 1t is probable the family viii
now move TO Columbia, and that in fact
Col. Hoyt had been contemplating re
moving to the capital for seve5al months
before his death.
The following is o brief sketch of Col
James Alfred Hoyt's active life:
He was born October 18th, 1887, In
Waynesboro, Va. His father, j. Perlsins
Hoyt, was native of New Hampshire. {
jeweler by trade, who came South for his
health and located in Virginia, Hs
married Miss Jane johnson, Of Virginia
Col. j. ?. Hoyt was man of high cul
ture and at one time edited the I.aurens
Vile Herald and later the Anderson In
telligenoer. From Virginia the Hoy
family moved to Clarkesville, Ga. whers
they lived short time. Thence they
went to Laurens, South Carolina.
AT the age of fourteen James A. Hoyt
entered the Office of the Laurensyiils
Herald as an apprentice. When he wa,
eighteen years of age he came to Ander
son as foreman of the Anderson Gazette
One year later he was editor, which. DO
sition he held until August, 1860, whou
he began the publication of the Andersor
Intelligencer.
Col. Hoyt was member of the Pal
metto Riftemen, - company organized in
Anderson for service during the Con
federate war. Soon after the company
entered the State service, in 1861, ht
was .ppointed to a lieutonancy. He wai
soon after badly wounded and inoapaoi
tated for active duty. On this account
he was on detached duty for the last
year and a half Of the war.
After the war Col. Hoyt returned tt
the newspaper business and resumed the
publication of the Intelligencer, which
had suspended during the war. He was
cratic Executive Committee, and in 1890
when the Tillman movement swept
over the State, he was Chairman of the
State Democratic Executive Committee.
He was always an organized Democrat
supporting Seymour and Blair in 1872
and Greene against Cham berlain in 1874
He was an ardent cred Shirt" in the
days of '78. When it was decided tc
collect the voluntary tax" that the
people of the State laid upon Themselves
to regain the control of affairs, Governol
Wade Hampton, appointed Col. Hoyt al
his agent to collect the tax in Anderson
county. With tho firm re.establishment
of the white supremacy tho necessity 70,
the voluntary tax" ceased, and Col
Hoyts Office was abolished.
In the early part Of 1877 Col. Hoyt
sold the Intelligencer to Messrs. E. b
Murray and j. +. Clinkscales and moved
to Columbia, where he became editor OF
the Columbia Register, then the cham
pion of the "Unterrified Democracy
Two years later he purchased The Work
ing Christian, which he changed into the
Baptist Courier, and moved to Green
Vile.
In 1885 Col. Hoyt was elected Presi.
dent of the State Baptist Convention
and was reelected to this position fol-
nine consecutive terms. For twenty
years he was Trustee of Furman Uni
versity and was once President of the
Southern Baptist Convention.
In June, 1901, he sold the Baptist Co
rier, and in January, 1892, bought the
Greenville Enterprise and Moutaineer
changed the name to its original form
The Mountaineer, and was its editor and
until his death.
Col. Hoyt made an active canvass OF
the State in 1900 for Governor on the
prohibition ticket, but was defeated
He had been prominent in Masonic cir.
cles for many years, and was one of the
Oldest Past Grand Masters in tho State.--
Anderson Mail. .r.