Early Life and Education
Eads was born in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and named for his mother's cousin, then Congressman and subsequent President of the United States James Buchanan. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri.
Eads was largely self-educated; at the age of thirteen, he left school to take up work to help support the family. One of his first jobs was at the Williams & Duhring dry-goods store run by Barrett Williams. Williams allowed the young Eads to spend time in his library, located above the store. In Eads's spare time, he was read books on physical science, mechanics, machinery, and civil engineering.
Read more about this topic: James Buchanan Eads
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