George Madison James was born on September 1st, 1862. He was publisher of the first and only black newspaper in Scotland Neck, The News Reporter, from 1919 to 1925. He served as secretary of the Halifax County Emancipation Association, was one of the founders of the North Carolina State Fair, and was a member of the association operating a high school in Martin County, North Carolina. He died on June 24, 1946.