James Newland McDonald, cashier of the Scammon State Bank, was born in Howard county, Missouri, April 9, 1859, a son of James R. and Iantha (Hill) McDonald. His father was born in Howard county, Missouri, in 1822, and died in Bates county, that state, in 1897. He was a son of Peter McDonald, who was of Scottish lineage, coming from the Carolinas to Kentucky, thence to Missouri. The mother of James Newland McDonald was born in Madison county, Kentucky, and was a daughter of Archibald Hill and her mother bore the maiden name of Newland. Mr. McDonald is the youngest of eight children, of whom five are living. He was reared on a farm, and given a liberal common school education. At the age of nineteen he and his brother went to Bates county, Missouri, where they purchased land and developed a farm. May 20, 1881, Mr. McDonald accepted a position with the Central Coal & Coke Company, at Rich Hill, Mo., in whose employ he remained for nineteen years and four months, then resigned to take the management of the Mackie-McDonald Lumber Company, with headquarters at Scammon, Kan. In 1901 he became one of the organizers of the Scammon State Bank, and its first cashier. He has remained the cashier of the bank, which has enjoyed a constantly increasing business from its organization. For over thirty years Mr. McDonald has been continuously employed and drawing a salary without the loss of a single day, an unusual thing in the life of the average business man. In politics he is a stanch Democrat, and in 1886 was his party's candidate for district clerk, but was defeated, his party being in the minority. He became a resident of Scammon, Feb. 27, 1883. He helped to lay out the present town in the following February. He has served as mayor of the town several terms, and as a member of the school board three years.

In 1885 he married Miss Jennie Coman, daughter of James Coman, who was a pioneer of Cherokee county, settling on a farm near Scammon 1868. Mr. and Mrs. McDonald have one child, Mary. Mr. McDonald is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and is one of the most highly esteemed citizens of Cherokee county.