James served in the Navy during the Korean War, and was a chief yeoman of the Navy Reserve. In his youth he worked for the Romett Hotel in Barnesboro, Pa. James was then until 1988 a state auditor for the Pa. Dept. of Labor and Industry. He initially worked in Harrisburg and was transferred permanently to Johnstown in 1957.

James was called up for active duty during the 1977 Johnstown Flood and chauffeurred U.S. Rep. John Murtha during the aftermath, receiving an achievement medal for his contribution to the relief effort. He died of cancer in 2002.