The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-02-25
JUDGE JAMES Z. PEURIFOY.

Wa!ter3oro, Feb. 1o.-In accepting
the position OF Judge of the newly ere
,s~d rrh judicial circuit James T.
Peurifoy, OF this city, has had to decide
between a material life and life Of
service, between the continuation in bus
mess and law and the higher, intellectual
H., or a Judgeship. By dint Of strict
application and remarkable ability Judge
,uIi!oy has been able to amass a
strong competence and now proposes
to devote his entire time and energy to
the service of his State from the bench
Jud2e feuriioy is now an official in
many important business enterprises
.iere and in Hampton county; has a
large practice in all the various depart
ments of legal work, principal among
which may be mentioned that of the At
lantic Coast Line railroad and other cor
porations; is farmer on quite a large
scale and vitally interested in religious
and educational work He is a man Of
many activities and strict application
and carries to the bench the business ex-
perience of successful inancier, the le-
gal training of 20 years in handling
large matters, a sense of duty to- his
State the power of strict application
and a direct view OF men and things ac-
CURED from his many-sided expert
ences.
Judge Peurifoy was born in Edge
field district in 1872, received his edu-
cation in the common schools of that
county, and won a scholarship over II
competitors to the Citadel from which
he was graduated in 1894. He was
principal of the Walterboro schools for
four years and ever since has been in
terested in educational matters, serving
for many years as a member of the
county board OF education. He was
married to Miss Carrie Hagood Witsell,
a member of prominent Colleton fam
lily, and they have two children, boy
and a girl.
While teaching her Judge Peurifoy'
studied law in the offices of Howell &
Gruber, and was admitted to practice in
1897, beginning active practice in June,
1893 He has since been actively engag-
ed in the practice and at present is the
senior member of the firm of Peurlfoy
Brothers, composed of himself, John H.
Peurifoy and L. B. Houck. Mr.. Peuri-
ioy has represented the VI
Line Railway company in this county
for more than II years, as we'll as many
other large corporations, and although
this usually mitigates against a lawyer
in politics in the new circuit for the
him the unanimous endorsement of
every lawyer in the new circuit for the
position of Judge. Judge Peurifoy was
State senator from Colleton county
from 1902 to 1906, declining re-elec-
ton.
In addition to the practice of law,
Judge Peurifoy has been actively inter
ested in business. Soon after being ad-
mitted to the bar he purchased the Press
and Standard, the local county paper,
managed and edited it for several years,
later selling to be the presnt owner. w.
w. Smoak. He organized the Farmers
and Merchants bank of this city, and
served for some time as attorney for
it In 1910, he organized the First Ma
tional bank, of Walterboro, of which he
is now president and large stockhold-
er. He developed the local telephone ex-
change, which he now owns, and organ
lied the Farmers Mercantile Ware
house company, Farmers Union S25,-
900 corporation, of which he is now
president and large stockholder. Un-
til his resignation last year, he was pres
ident Of the local oil mill. Last year,
he organized the Peoples bank OF
Brunson, with State charter, which he
is now converting into national bank.
He is president and large stockholder
in this bank.
Judge Peurifoy owns and operates a
magnificent farm just on the edge OF
Walterboro, running there 20 ploughS
He also owns much real property in
Walterboro and other sections OF the
1oct and