100 Years of Boswell

Boswell family home, circa 1920, in Penfield, Georgia. Sometime in the 1930s, the home was destroyed by fire and later rebuilt.

At age twenty-one, James set off on his own adventure, joining the US Army in 1903. Through hard work and determination, he climbed the ranks, eventually retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1920 after facing ongoing challenges from a broken back. Returning home to Greene County—and now known as “Colonel JG”—he tried his hand as a regional cotton broker, but it was a tough time for the cotton industry. The boll weevil had devastated crops across the South, and what little remained was wiped out by the collapsing market. With opportunities drying up in Georgia, Colonel JG and his wife, Alaine, decided it was time for a fresh start. In 1921, they packed their bags and headed west, landing in Pasadena, California. Despite his family’s long history in cotton farming, the Colonel would later admit that he was not exactly an expert at first. But he was a quick learner. Cotton production was expanding westward, first to Texas, then Arizona, and eventually California—and Colonel JG saw a big opportunity. Taking a bold leap, he invested a large chunk of Alaine’s inheritance in the cotton market. It paid off big: within weeks, his investment doubled. That success gave him the confidence to dive headfirst into the business. He soon made a name for himself as a cotton broker, operating in California and the Yuma, Arizona, area. His first office opened in downtown Los Angeles. Later, the Colonel set up offices at the Cotton Exchange Building on West Third Street.

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