The Honorable James C. Beasley

Born November 17, 1926, in Birmingham, Alabama, James was the eldest son of Ernest Calvin Beasley and Lillie McClure Beasley.

James began his first job as a delivery boy and store clerk at Perkins Pharmacy the day after he graduated the eighth grade. James worked nights and weekends through high school and graduated from Phillips High School just prior to entering the Navy in 1944. While in the Navy, James was assigned to the attack transport USS Hanover and served as a Petty Officer Third Class storekeeper. James returned home after the war and attended college at the University of Alabama/Birmingham. While attending college James worked at the American News Magazine Company where he met “…the prettiest thing I’d ever seen”, Martha Mahaffey. James and Martha were married in 1947 and were married for 69 years until her death in 2016.

James’s move to Memphis began when on the advice of a buddy who had picked him up hitchhiking; James applied for a job at International Harvester and subsequently started there in inventory control. A few years later in 1950, James and Martha accepted an opportunity with Harvester to move to Memphis, Tennessee where James served as division inventory controller in Harvester’s new parts depot. While at Harvester, James decided to take a couple of courses in contracts at Southern Law University believing it would help him in his position. Four year later, in 1954, James graduated magna cum laude from Southern Law University as Salutatorian and began a long legal career that would take him from a claims adjuster at State Farm, to the District Attorney’s Office as an Assistant District Attorney, to the County Attorney for Shelby County, TN., to the Criminal Court Judge in Division 6, 15th Judicial Circuit of Tennessee, and ending his career as a designated trial and appellate judge for almost 30 years authoring over 175 opinions for the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals.

Judge James C Beasley loved the law. But of all of his legal practice, James most fondly remembered the time he spent as a trial lawyer in the Attorney General’s office. He had a passion for trying a lawsuit before a jury. In 1968, he was selected by then Attorney General Philip “Phil” Canale Jr. to work with him and his Executive Assistant Robert K. “Bussy” Dwyer to represent the state of Tennessee in one of the most notable prosecutions in the 20th century, The State of Tennessee vs James Earl Ray for the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

James’s devotion to the law was paralleled by his devotion to his faith. James was a charter member of Colonial Baptist Church and served as a trustee and as the men’s Sunday school class teacher for many years. He was ordained a Deacon in 1955 at Colonial and served in that capacity at three Southern Baptist churches over a span of almost 60 years. He considered it an honor and a blessing to serve as a member of the deacon body. In his later years James was most honored when Germantown Baptist Church bestowed him with the title of Deacon Emeritus. He devoted his life to studying scripture and teaching God’s word. Even in his 90’s, James taught regular bible studies to the residents at the Heritage at Irene Wood where he lived until 2021.

Judge Beasley was preceded in death by his wife, Martha Mahaffey Beasley, his son, Judge James C. Beasley, Jr., and his sister Edna Faye Moore. He is survived by his son, Mike Beasley (Lajuanna) of Horn Lake, MS., his daughter Nancy Reynolds (Darwin) of Scottsdale, AZ., his daughter-in-law ‘Libba’ Elizabeth M. Beasley of Cordova, TN., and his grandchildren, Ernest James Beasley of Memphis, TN., Elizabeth Beasley McCracken (Patrick) of Brentwood, TN., Alex M. Beasley (Kayleigh Buvens) of New Orleans, LA., Sarah McNicoll (Matt) of Charlottesville, VA., Brittany Madden (Michael) of Phoenix, AZ., and Megan Reynolds of Pinetop, AZ.

A visitation will be held July 10th at 1:00-2:00 pm with a service to follow at Germantown Baptist Church, 9450 Poplar Ave, Germantown, Tn. 38139.