[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 60 (Thursday, April 23, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E948]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           A TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE OF JAMES GRIFFIN BOSWELL II

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 23, 2009

  Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, I rise today along with my colleagues from 
the House, Mr. Nunes and Mr. Radanovich, and from the Senate, Mrs. 
Feinstein to pay a special tribute to the life of an agricultural icon 
of California, Mr. James Griffin Boswell II of Indian Wells, 
California. James passed away on April 3, 2009 at the age of 86. He is 
survived by his wife Barbara Wallace Boswell, three children and 
several grandchildren.
  Mr. James Griffin Boswell was born on March 10, 1923 in Greensboro, 
Georgia to William Whittier Boswell, Sr. and Kate Hall Boswell. James 
graduated in 1941 from the Thacher School an exclusive private boarding 
school in Ojai, California. In 1946 he received his B.S. in Economics 
from Stanford University. Prior to graduating from Stanford, ``JG'' as 
he was most commonly known, served in the United States Army during 
World War II where he was stationed in the South Pacific.
  At the age of twenty-nine, James inherited one-third of the JG 
Boswell Company after the death of his uncle, JG Boswell I. At that 
time the company held 150,000 acres in California. During the next half 
century, James spent a good portion of his time transforming the family 
farm located near Corcoran, California in the San Joaquin Valley.
  The diversification of the JG Boswell Company created many industry 
leading developments. Mr. Boswell's labs developed new, highly 
productive seed varieties as well as technological improvements that 
increased their capacity. He was an innovative water user, one of the 
first to employ lasers when leveling fields allowing water to flow 
evenly and efficiently. His careful water management also included 
hiring agronomists to determine when and how to irrigate. This allowed 
the Boswell farms to produce more cotton with less water than their 
competitors. James remained a very private man, in spite of periods of 
growth and success for his enterprises, which included such things as 
diversification into real estate development and farming ventures in 
Australia. His family business maintained that private reputation 
throughout his life.
  James Griffin Boswell served as Chairman, President and CEO of the JG 
Boswell Co. from 1952 and continued until his retirement in 1984. After 
his retirement James continued to serve on the Boswell Company Board of 
Directors until his passing. In addition, Mr. Boswell served on the 
Boards of Safeway, General Electric, Security Pacific Bank, Bank of 
America, and Up with People. James was a trustee of the California 
Nature Conservancy, Cal Tech, Thacher School, the James G. Boswell 
Foundation in California and the Boswell Family Foundation in Idaho. 
Many were the recipients of Mr. Boswell's generosity.
  It goes without saying that Mr. James Griffin Boswell's dedicated 
involvement to the cotton industry earned him a reputation of respect 
and enormous appreciation from Central Valley cotton farmers, and the 
agriculture industry in general. James was known as the Cotton King. My 
colleagues and I are honored and humbled to join his family today in 
celebrating the life of this amazing man. His presence will be dearly 
missed in our community in the years to come.

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