James Winfred Hunt, Methodist pastor and college president, was born on July 9, 1875, at the Kaw Indian Agency, Indian Territory, the son of William and Elizabeth (Pruitt) Hunt. His father was a government physician at the time of his birth. When he was five the family moved to Estacado, a Quaker colony in Crosby County, Texas, and he grew up in that area working for neighboring ranchers. He graduated from Central Plains Academy, Estacado, in 1893. After graduation he edited the Texan Press at Plainview, and in 1903 he decided to enter the Methodist ministry. On January 16, 1906, he married Mary Anthony; they had five children. He held pastorates in Dumas, Snyder, and Abilene, and from 1916 to 1918 he was president of Stamford College. His principal achievement was his presentation of plans to the Northwest Texas Methodist Conference and the Abilene Chamber of Commerce that led to the founding of McMurry College. He was named first president of McMurry in 1923 and served in that capacity until his death on March 12, 1934. Hunt's published works include The Saga of Grandma Rogers (1926) and "Buffalo Days," a series in Holland's Magazine (1933).
