James Childress (Alabama)

James Childress (January 28, 1773–January 18, 1836), often referred to in print as Major Childress, was a land speculator, real estate developer, slave owner, plantation owner, and pioneer settler of Alabama, United States, involved in the establishment of both Demopolis, and Tuscaloosa. He was posthumously described as a close personal friend of Andrew Jackson. In partnership with his brother-in-law, he sought to buy a number of slaves in Washington, D.C. in 1815. He also owned two prosperous cotton plantations. Late in life he was involved in a raid against what was described as a den of counterfeiters.