James Oliver Amos was born in Monroe County on March 30, 1833. He grew up on a farm near Beallsville, helping out there until the age of 18 when he became a teacher. Amos was interested in studying law and entered into the bar in 1859. By 1861 he was promoted to prosecuting attorney in Monroe County where he served for two terms.
Along with studying law, Amos was also appointed as school examiner, a position he held for ten years. In 1870, James Oliver Amos was elected to serve on the Ohio State Senate and from 1874-1876 held the position of Adjutant General. While under Amos’s term, the Ohio National Guard was reinstated after its disbandment following the Civil War. It was around this time that he received the honorary title of “General.”
On January 25, 1876, once his political terms were over, Gen. Amos moved to Sidney in Shelby County where he purchased the offices of the Shelby County Democrat. He became editor and publisher for the newspaper, increasing its popularity. Under his direction, a new building was constructed on Court St. in 1882 and the size of the paper increased from four to eight pages. In 1891, Amos established the Sidney Daily News, which is still in publication today. He made his daughter, Delia, manager of the paper. That same year Gen. J. O. Amos was reelected back into the Ohio Senate. After his term, Amos was the only senator in Ohio who could claim serving the Senate for two different districts.
Aside from his political accomplishments and newspaper publication, Gen. Amos was also involved with several local manufacturing companies by serving on their board of trustees and encouraging their growth. While Gen. J. O. Amos passed away in Sidney on December 7, 1918, his publication legacy lives on today in the form of the Sidney Daily News and the Amos Media Company.