| James Fontleroy Grinstead | |
| Birth Date: | November 15, 1845 |
| Birth Place: | Glasgow, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Resting Place: | Cave Hill Cemetery Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Grocery wholesaler |
| Office: | 34th Mayor of Louisville |
| Term: | 1907–1909 |
| Predecessor: | Robert Worth Bingham |
| Successor: | William O. Head |
| Party: | Republican |
James Fontleroy Grinstead (November 15, 1845 – November 13, 1921) was a businessman, mayor of Louisville, Kentucky from 1907 to 1909, and county commissioner from 1917 to his death in 1921. He is a descendant of William & Elizabeth Key Grinstead
Born in Glasgow, Kentucky in 1854,[1] [2] [3] [4] Grinstead had a common school education in Barren County, Kentucky before moving to Louisville in 1866 to work in wholesale grocery at Glazebrook & Grinstead, later known as W. E. Grinstead & Co.[1] [5] [6] [4] He was a full partner in 1871 and worked in the company until 1891, when he left to found the wholesale company Grinstead & Tinsley in 1892,[1] [5] [4] In the same year, he married Annie W. Harwood.[5] which he headed until his retirement in 1910.[7] [4]
Grinstead became a well-known local businessman and was approached to run for Mayor of Louisville in 1897, which he declined.[1] [4] In 1901, he ran for mayor and won the Republican nomination.[1] [4] After learning that his backer—Republican Party boss Charles Sapp—had used some questionable tactics to get votes for Grinstead, he declined the nomination,[1] earning the nickname "Honest Jim".[4] He became the first Republican mayor of Louisville to be elected by general voters when he became mayor in 1907[5] to complete the term started by Paul C. Barth,[7] whose 1905 election had been thrown out by the Kentucky Court of Appeals.[1] [4] He ran for reelection in 1909, losing [1] [5] to Democrat William O. Head.[4] Grinstead was elected county commissioner in 1917 and served until his death in 1921.[7]
Grinstead Drive, a prominent street running through Louisville's East End, was renamed in Grinstead's honor.[4] He was buried in Cave Hill Cemetery,[8] [4] which Grinstead Drive runs alongside.