James Alonzo Groves was born on November 26, 1873 near Lowell, North Carolina. Groves was a businessman and public servant. From 1903 to 1945, he was secretary-treasurer of the Wiscassett Mills in Albemarle, North Carolina. Groves served as mayor of Albemarle in 1919 and was elected to the state legislature for two terms beginning in 1930. He died in Charlotte on January 27, 1955.