James A. (James Alexander) Henshall

Born in 1836, James Alexander Henshall was an American physician, author, and naturalist whose name became closely tied to the rise of recreational bass fishing in the United States. He is most often remembered for Book of the Black Bass, a widely noted 19th-century work that earned him a lasting reputation among anglers.

Alongside his medical career, he wrote extensively about fish, game, and outdoor life in a clear, practical style that appealed to both sportsmen and general readers. His writing helped popularize black bass as a prized game fish and contributed to early conservation-minded interest in sport fishing.

Henshall died in 1925, but he is still remembered as an important voice in American outdoor writing and angling history.