(Feb. 22, 1816-Oct. 9, 1909). The fourth mayor of Indianapolis (1854-1856), and the first Democrat mayor, James McCready came to Indianapolis in 1836 from New York City. A tailor by trade, he worked in Indianapolis as a cloth cutter and, in time, opened his own store.
Gregarious and popular, McCready threw himself into the social life of the town: he joined the “Independent Reliefs,” one of the half dozen fire companies; was a charter member of the Indianapolis Band; and was a leading member of the Indianapolis Thespian Corps, the first amateur theatrical group in the city. In his forties, McCready’s resemblance to pictures of Napoleon Bonaparte was frequently noted, and he enjoyed striking suitably Napoleonic poses.
A justice of the peace from 1850 to 1854, McCready handily defeated the incumbent mayor, , in May 1854 and won reelection in 1855 over a Know-Nothing candidate in a close election. He ran again in 1859 but lost to .
While serving as mayor, he appointed the city’s first police department. In 1861, McCready became the bookkeeper for the Indiana National Bank, a job he held for more than 30 years until he retired in his mid-70s. In 1893, he moved to Los Angeles, returning to Indianapolis in 1908 to live with his only son until his death at age 93.
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