James G. Boswell II (March 10, 1923 – April 3, 2009)[1] was the head of J. G. Boswell Company, a company that Boswell built from a large family-held cotton farm into an agribusiness giant.
Boswell inherited the company from his uncle James Griffin Boswell as a 29-year old in the early 1960s. Boswell grew the acreage more than three times to a peak of more than 200,000 acres (810 km2). In addition to increasing the size, Boswell focused on developing more productive cultivars and other technological advances to increase output and efficiency. Among his innovations was using lasers to level fields, resulting in more efficient water use.
Boswell used the company's influence to successfully lobby for advantageous land and water policies in the state, including the construction of the Pine Flat Dam. The dam stemmed water flow to Tulare Lake, the now dry bed of which is a central part of the company's land.
After a stint in the Army during World War II, Boswell attended Stanford University, earning a degree in economics. During his career he sat on various corporate boards, including that of General Electric.
The King of California: J. G. Boswell and the Making of a Secret American Empire, Mark Arax and Rick Wartzman, 2003, PublicAffairs. ISBN 1-58648-281-5 (pbk)