Sermons of James Douglas

James S. Douglas was born in Canada in 1837. From 1856-1858, Douglas studied to become a Presbyterian minister first at the Queen's College, Kingston, then later at the University of Edinburgh. However, upon completion of his studies Douglas refused to sign the Confession of Faith and thus was never ordained. In 1912, Douglas served as Chancellor at Queen's College, Kingston and was responsible for establishing the University as a nondenominational institution. Throughout his life, Douglas had a strong interest in science and chemistry in particular. In 1869 with the assistance of Dr. Thomas Sterry Hunt at Universite Laval, the men developed the Hunt and Douglas process of extracting copper from its ore, for which they were awarded a patent. Douglas' exceptional talent in chemistry brought him to fill the Chair of Chemistry at Morrin College from 1871-1874.

The Phelps Dodge Corporation recruited Douglas in 1880 to investigate mining opportunities in the Arizona Territory. Here Douglas secured the purchase of the Copper Queen Mine in Bisbee, Arizona which developed the mine into the largest producer of copper in the world at the time. This success lead Phelps Dodge to appoint Douglas president of its coal lands operating company in Dawson, New Mexico as well as the Stag Canyon Fuel Company. In 1908, Douglas was appointed the first president of Phelps Dodge.

Douglas was an ardent supporter of education and scientific inquiry. He built libraries in each of the Phelps Dodge major mining camps and smelter towns, authored numerous treatises on the copper industry, and in 1899-1900 served as president of the American Institute of Mining Engineers. Douglas died in Spuyten Durvil, New York in 1918.