James H. Guinn, M. D., a resident of Arkansas City, is one of the best known and successful physicians and surgeons in Cowley county, Kansas, where for nearly a quarter of a century he has devoted the best years of his life to the practice of his profession. Dr. Guinn was born in Platt county, Missouri, Nov. 21, 1856. His father, Jonathan K. Guinn, was also a native of Missouri but removed to Kansas in 1875 and preëmpted land in Cowley county. Later he removed to Oklahoma and died in that state in 1909. He was a Democrat in his political adherency but took no part in political affairs. During the Civil war he served four years in the Sixteenth Kansas cavalry, which was a part of the Western Reserve troops. Jonathan K. Guinn was a son of Thornton Guinn, a native of Virginia who came to Missouri and there engaged in farming and stock raising. The mother of Dr. Guinn was a Miss Nancy Masoner prior to her marriage. Her father, Texter Masoner, was born in Knoxville, Tenn., but removed to Missouri in an early day and became one of the wealthy farmers of that state. His whole career was given to agricultural pursuits. He died in Missouri in 1887. Dr. Guinn attended the district schools near His Missouri home and completed his education at Plattsburg, Mo. He accompanied his parents to Kansas in 1875 and at once secured employment in a grocery store at Dexter, Cowley county. In 1883 he entered the Kansas City Medical College to prepare for the profession he had chosen as his life work, and was graduated in 1886. He practiced medicine one year in Kingman county, Kansas, then in 1888 located at Arkansas City and opened an office with Dr. Sparks, with whom he practiced one year. Since then he has performed his professional duties alone and has been successful both professionally and financially. Since beginning his practice he has taken post-graduate work at Bellevue Hospital at New York City and at several post-graduate schools in Chicago, Ill,, and by this means, and by the reading of current medical literature he has kept fully informed as to the most advanced thought of his profession. He does a general practice both in medicine and in surgery and was one of the first to do abdominal surgery in Cowley county. Dr. Guinn is a member of the Cowley County Medical Society and was president of it one term; he is also a member of the Kansas State Medical Society and the American Medical Association.

On Oct. 11, 1881, Dr. Guinn was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Wilson, a daughter of E. A. Wilson, who came to Kansas from Iowa in 1880. Mr. Wilson served as a Union soldier during the Civil war and gave his active years to agricultural pursuits. Dr. and Mrs. Guinn have two daughters: Faustena, Mrs. Osa Foster, Long Beach, Cal., and Bertha, Mrs. Richard E. King, of Los Angeles, Cal., both of whom are graduates of Mt. Carmel College at Wichita. Dr. Guinn is a member of the Masonic order and of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and both he and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church.