James McMillin (slave trader)
James McMillin | |
|---|---|
Deaths in Memphis, May 1857 | |
| Born | July 26, 1806 Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | May 24, 1857 (aged 50) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wounds |
| Other names | Jim McMillin, McMillan, McMillen |
| Occupation(s) | Slave jailor, slave trader, tavern keeper |
James McMillin (July 26, 1806 – May 24, 1857) was an American tavern keeper and slave trader of Kentucky. He was implicated in more than one case of attempted kidnapping into slavery (the abduction of a free family of color with intent to sell them as chattel in a slave state).
In 1857, Memphis slave trader Isaac Bolton shot McMillin several times over an unprofitable trade. McMillin died hours later in the home of Memphis slave trader Nathan Bedford Forrest. His last name is very often spelled McMillan or McMillen; this article uses the spelling that appears on his grave marker and hometown newspaper.
McMillin's murder would mark the beginning the Bolton–Dickins feud, a gangland war between associates of Bolton, Dickens & Co., one of the largest professional slave trading businesses in the country. Between seven and 19 people were ultimately killed as a result of the war.