Born on October 21, 1837, into two prominent Millerstown families, James Addams Beaver built a distinguished career in public service. His paternal grandfather, The Rev. Peter Beaver, was an itinerant Methodist minister who settled in Pfoutz Valley in 1810, and his father, Jacob, engaged in the mercantile trade in Millerstown. After Jacob died in 1840, Beaver's mother married The Rev. S. H. McDonald of Millerstown, who moved the family to Belleville, PA. Beaver spent many summers with his grandfather Abraham Addams and worked on farms in Pfoutz Valley, graduated from Jefferson College in 1856, settled in Bellefonte, PA, and was admitted to the Bar in 1859. In April 1861, he entered the army and soon took command of the 148th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers. Between May 1863 and August 1864, he was wounded four times, and his right leg was amputated after a near-mortal wound at Ream's Station, NC. President Lincoln brevetted him a Brigadier General for meritorious service, especially for distinguished leadership at the Battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia, in June 1864. After the Civil War, he married Mary Allison McAllister, the daughter of his law partner, and they had five sons. A Republican, Beaver served as Pennsylvania's 20th governor from 1887 to 1891, substantially improving education, highways, and the conservation of forests and waterways, while introducing temperance legislation, reapportioning voter districts, codifying laws relating to relief for the poor, regulating coal, and reducing the state debt by three million dollars despite the response to the Johnstown flood of 1889. He obtained state funds to improve Penn State's intercollegiate football field, later named Beaver Field in his honor. Later he was involved in banking, railroads, and coal mining, held local and national lay leadership positions in the Presbyterian Church, served on the Board of Trustees of Washington and Jefferson College, Lincoln University, and Pennsylvania State University, including as acting president of the university from 1906 to 1908, was appointed in 1895 as a judge of the first State Superior Court and re-elected twice, and died on January 31, 1914, at the age of 76.