James Capt was born in Long Branch, Texas, in 1888 and later attended Baylor University. He served as a captain with the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. After he returned to Texas, he set up a successful dairy business. During President Roosevelt’s first term he joined the Texas Relief Commission, where he came to the attention of Harry Hopkins, one of Roosevelt’s closest advisors.

Hopkins brought Capt into the Works Progress Administration to organize the information division. When Hopkins became secretary of commerce in 1939, he brought some of his subordinates from the WPA with him, including Capt. In July 1939, Capt became a confidential assistant to the director of the Census Bureau to organize and administer the workforce for the 1940 census. A good administrator, though not a statistician, Capt was appointed director in 1941, a position he held for eight years. In August 1949, he resigned because of poor health. He died less than a month later.

Download Photo of Previous Director James Clyde Capt [<1.0 MB]

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Page Last Revised - April 28, 2023

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