Political Career
In 1820, Governor John Adair appointed Guthrie as Commonwealth's Attorney for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, whereupon Guthrie relocated to Louisville. In 1824, he served on a committee whose aim was to obtain city status for Louisville. The effort failed, but Guthrie was elected to the town's board of trustees, and later became its chair.
The following year, Guthrie was chosen as director of the newly formed Louisville and Portland Canal Company. He was instrumental in securing federal funding for a bypass around the Falls of the Ohio, although newly elected president Andrew Jackson cut off these funds in 1829. Guthrie secured private funds and completed the canal in late 1830. Within a few years, however, steamboats became too wide for the canal, and it became more of an impediment than an aid.
Read more about this topic: James Guthrie (Kentucky)
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