James was born and raised in Ennis, Texas; he entered the Air Force in January 1961. Upon completion of technical training as an Inventory Management specialist, he was assigned to Kindely Air Force Base, Bermuda.

During his 26-year Air Force career, James was assigned to the famed SR-71 Reconnaissance aircraft squadron when working in the Intel Supply Division at Beale AFB, California. Other assignments included: Wakkanai AS, Japan; Nakhon Phanom, Thailand; and Ramstein AB, Germany where he worked on the initial deployment of the Ground Launched Cruise Missile. James was also assigned to the 89 th Military Airlift Wing, where he provided direct supply support to Air Force One, as well as other Presidential support aircraft. During his military career, he received numerous medals and awards including the Meritorious and Air Commendations Medals.

After retiring from the Air Force in 1987, James accepted a position as a Supply Management Officer with the Armed Services Retirement Home, in Washington, DC. While there, James is credited with transforming a manual supply operation into a fully automated real-time system. He came to USDA in April 2001 as the Deputy Director of the Beltsville Service Center. In January 2005, he was promoted to the position of Director.

James holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Park College, MO, and a Masters degree from Troy State University, AL.

He is married to the former Ida Catherine Phillips of Lafayette, Louisiana. They have two sons, Dwayne and Steven.