An Illustrated History of the State of Washington, by Rev. H.K. Hines, D.D., 
The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, IL., 1893, pages 438-439

	HON. JAMES A. MUNDAY, one of the able and prominent attorneys of Clarke
county, was born in Hancock county, Kentucky, August 14, 1848, a son of Redmond
F. and Martha L. (Hamilton) Munday, the former a native of Virginia and the
latter of Kentucky. The paternal ancestors are of English extraction, and their
advent on this continent was during the first settlement ofí Virginia. From this
State the grandfather of our subject removed during the early boyhood of his
only son to become one of the substantial citizens of Tennessee. The maternal
ancestors our subject, the Hamiltons and Russells, were of Scotch and Irish
stock, and have given their courage, energy and ability to the development of
Kentucky, since its early settlement.
	James A. Munday, the subject of this sketch, was educated in the county
schools of the neighborhood, at Greenville Academy and at Georgetown College,
Kentucky, where his course was interrupted by the Civil war in the winter of
1861-í62. He soon afterward joined a number of his neighbors, who made their way
through the military lines and enlisted in the Confederate army. He served in
the Tenth Kentucky Cavalry, was soon promoted to Lieutenancy and afterward
entrusted with the command of his company. He participated in all of the many
engagements of his command until his capture, after which he suffered a long
imprisonment.
	After returning home, at the close of hostilities, he took a course of
lectures at the University of Law in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1867 he was
elected clerk of the Hancock Circuit Court. He was shortly afterward chosen
Assistant Secretary of the State Senate, and reelected two years later. Mr.
Munday began the practice of his profession at Hawesville, the seat of his
native county, and in 1870 removed to Owensboro, in Daviess county, where, after
practicing a year in partnership with Hon. George W. Williams, he was appointed
Master in Chancery of the Daviess Circuit Court. His healing becoming poor in
sedentary pursuits, be retired after four years' service, purchased, with Mr.
Thomas S. Pettit, a half interest in a stave factory with a large body of timber
land and engaged in the manufacture of staves. On closing out that business he
established the Owensboro Messenger, a weekly newspaper, which proved successful
from the beginning. In the following year this paper was consolidated with the
Examiner, its flourishing rival, conducted by Mr. Lee Lumpkin, and the new paper
proceeded on its successful career, as a weekly and tri-weekly journal, with Mr.
Lumpkin as manager and Mr. Munday as senior editor and Mr. C.W. Bransford as
junior editor. In 1880 Mr. Munday sold his stock in the paper, retired from the
business and was elected to the State Senate for a term of four years, during
which as chairman and member of leading committees he took an active part in the
important legislation of both sessions.
	On the accession of Mr. Cleveland to the presidency Mr. Munday was appointed
Special Agent of the General Land Office and was assigned, at his own request,
to the Territory of Washington, where he had already intended to locate. After a
vigorous and successful administration of this office, until the fall of 1889,
he resumed the practice of law, remaining at Vancouver. He received the
Democratic nomination for Superior Judge for the district composed of Skamania,
Clarke, Cowlitz, Wahkiakum and Pacific counties, but was defeated at the fall
election of that year with the rest of his ticket, though by a much smaller
majority. He was a delegate from his State to the National Democratic Convention
at Chicago in June, 1892. As one of the two nominees of the Democratic State
Convention of September, 1892, he ran for Representative in Congress at the
November election, but again shared the Democratic defeat and demonstrated his
strength in his own and neighboring counties.
	During his residence in Owensboro, Kentucky, Mr. Munday joined the Knights
of Pythias, the Masons and the Odd Fellows, afterward becoming a Past Chancellor
and Representative in the Grand Lodge of Knights of Pythias.
	While devoting his time to his professional business he has given occasional
attention to the development of fruit lands, and holds, jointly with John
OíKeane, several hundred acres of dairy and fruit land on the Columbia and Lake
rivers in Clarke county. He has been largely identified with the best interests
of his county and ever ready to encourage public enterprises. He is a cultured
gentleman of genial disposition, though retiring and undemonstrative in manner,
and enjoys the highest confidence of those who know him best.

Submitted to the WA. Bios Project in October 2003 by Jeffrey L. Elmer

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Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Washington Biographies
Project. Unless otherwise stated, no further information is available on the
individual featured in the biographies.