Salvation Army

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=====James Osborne=====
Commissioner **James Alfred Osborne**, OF, was commissioned in June 1947. He attended the International College for Officers in 1964. He was the President of the [[High Council]] in 1993, which ultimately elected [[Bramwell Tillsley]].

^Commissioner James Osborne||
|{{osborne_james.jpeg}}||
^Rank|Commissioner|
^Session|Warriors|
^Birth Date|July 3, 1927|
^Death Date|May 12, 2022|
^Relations|[[Ruth Campbell Osborne|Commissioner Ruth Osborne (wife)]]|
^ |[[Osborne|Osborne Family]]|

====Appointments====
^Appointment^Rank^From^Until^
|Corps Officer - Nashville, Tennessee| |1947| |
|Corps Officer - [[Memphis TN|Memphis, Tennessee]]| | | |
|Corps Officer - [[Owensboro KY|Owensboro, Kentucky]]| |(1949)|September 1954|
|Corps Officer - [[Chattanooga TN|Chattanooga, Tennessee]]|Captain|September 1954|August 29, 1961|
|Corps Officer - [[Miami FL|Miami, Florida]]| | |1965|
|Divisional Secretary - [[Kentucky and Tennessee Division]]| |1965| |
|General Secretary - [[North and South Carolina Division]]| | | |
|Territorial Public Relations Secreatry - [[Southern Territory]]| | | |
|Divisional Commander - [[Maryland and Northern West Virginia Division]]| |1971|1972|
|Divisional Commander - [[National Capital and Virginia Division]]| |1973|1978|
|Divisional Commander - [[Florida Division]]| |1978|1980|
|Chief Secretary - [[Western Territory]]| |1980|January 1984|
|National Chief Secretary - [[National Command]]| |January 1984|October 1986|
|Territorial Commander - [[Southern Territory]]|Commissioner|October 1986|November 1989|
|National Commander - [[National Command]]|Commissioner|1989|1993|
|Divisional Commander (Pro Tem) - [[Cascade Division]]|Commissioner (Post Retirement)|September 2007|February 2008|

====Capt. Santa Claus====
Jolly old Santa has his followers but to hundreds of Chattanooga families a handsome young man in a black and red uniform is "Mr. Christmas."

Not that he tries to play Santa; he doesn't.

But Capt. James Alfred Osborne, commanding officer of the Salvation Army here, helps make it possible for the parents in some 1,800 Chattanooga families to assume their traditional role.

It is unlikely that the more than 6,000 children involved, who will delight in shiny new toys Christmas morning, will ever have seen or heard of Capt. Osborn. But through him and the Salvation Army their parents will have the pleasure of playing Santa Claus.

This is the way it works. A clearing bureau set up by the various social welfare agencies of the city furnishes the name and addresses of needy families, and the number of children, to the Salvation Army. Capt. Osborne and his staff mail invitations to the parents to come to the Citadel at 809 Georgia Ave., and select a new toy for each of their children.

===Wild Variety===
The basement floor of the Salvation Army headquarters building is packed with toys suitable for children ranging from infants to 12-year-olds. There are dolls, skates, pogo sticks, sturdy trucks and fancy two-gun cowboy and pistol sets and many more toys for the parents to choose from. All brand new, the toys have an average wholesale value of $2 each.

The parents also receive a paid food order, varying according to the size of the family, good in any grocery store. Each order is sufficient for one traditional dinner. Or, if the holder prefers, it will provide beans and cornbread and milk for a week.

The Salvation Army buys the toys and provides the food orders with the nickels, dimes and dollars contributed by generous Chattanoogans.

It differs from other social welfare organizations in that it is set up to meet emergency needs, rather than to carry out a long-range assistance program. The Salvation Army also seeks to administer to the spiritual needs of those in dire distress - but only after immediate physical needs have been met.

===Simple Office===
Capt. Osborne guides the activities of the semimilitary organization here from a small, sparsely furnished office on the second floor of the Citadel. A Bible, a few neatly stacked papers and a lamp are on the plain desk. A bookshelf filled with religious books covers most of one wall. Another is lined with windows looking out on Georgia Avenue. They are never opened, even in the hottest weather, because the noise of traffic makes it impossible to carry on telephone conversations.

Although short in stature, Jim Osborne moves with the natural grace of the athlete. He has little time for exercise but occasionally he manages to get in a game of golf. He says his game is "terrible." An ardent baseball fan, only the fact that he felt he was called by God for Salvation Army work prevented him trying for a professional baseball career. He played third base and shortstop in high school and says he was "much better with the glove than with the stick."

He is a third-generation Salvation Army officer. He was born July 3, 1927, in Toledo, Ohio, the son of [[Alfred Osborne|Maj. Alfred J.]] and [[Gladys Osborne|Gladys Gaugh Osborne]]. His parents now live in Louisville, Ky., where Maj. Osborne is second in command of the Kentucky-Tennessee Division of the Salvation Army. His paternal grandfather, Albert J. Osborne, was an envoy - a rank no longer used - in the organization.

Jim is the oldest of three sons. His brother Ronald is employed as physical education director of a Salvation Army boys' club in Winston Salem, N.C. His brother Harry, now a senior at Duke University, plans to enter the Salvation Army Training College in Atlanta after he finishes at Duke.

===Has Moved About===
Salvation Army officers are moved around a lot and Jim and his brothers lived in many different cities. He went to elementary school in Deleware, Ohio, and to junior high and high school in Florida, South Carolina and Washington, D.C. It was while living in Bradenton, Fla., the spring training headquarters of the old Boston Bees, that he fell in love with baseball, Jim often got to watch such big leaguers as Bob Feller, Joe DiMaggio and Hank Greenberg play ball in exhibition games.

It was while taking part in a high school play in Washington that Jim met Ruth Campbell, daughter of the late Maj. John Campbell and Anna Campbell of the Salvation Army. They were married Nov. 26, 1945, and they attended the Salvation Army Training College in Atlanta together. They now live at 5513 Belaire Dr. and have one daughter, Constance Jean, 12, a student at Brainerd Junior High School.

When a Salvation Army officer marries his wife (or her husband) must be trained at a Salvation Army Training College because both hold the same rank. If a captain marries a lieutenant, the captain is reduced to the rank of lieutenant. Married officers are promoted together.

===Came Here in '54===
Jim and Ruth Osborne took their training together and were commissioned probationary captains in 1947. The rank of lieutenant was created a short time later, and they were dropped to that rank. Later they were promoted to captains. They came here in September 1954 from Owesnboro, Ky., where he was commanding officer for five and a half years.

All Salvation Army officers are ordained ministers. Because its founder, William Booth, was a Methodist minister, the theology of the organization probably is more like that of Methodism than any other Protestant denomination, Jim says.

Jim is president of the Chattanooga Pastor's Association. He also is past chairman of the Committee for a Better Chattanooga, a member of the board of the Big Brothers, vice president of the Chattanooga Chapter, American Social Hygiene Association, and a member of the Kiwanis Club, the Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Masons and the Shrine.

The army unit here has some 225 junior and senior members, who are like any other church members except that they probably devote more time to their religious work, and a full-time staff of 15 employees. The Salvation Army here operates the five-story Citadel building on Georgia Avenue, a transient lodge at 1603 Mitchell Ave., and a community center at 2142 E. 28th St. It will open bids within the next few days on plans for a new community center building in the 1700 block of Roanoke Street.

Salvation Army workers no longer wear Santa Claus suits. They wear their regular uniforms when they man their kettles and booths on the streets soliciting contributions to their Christmas fund. Every gift helps make Christmas that much brighter for some needy family.

//Chattanooga Daily Times (Chattanooga, Tennessee), December 22, 1958//

====Obituary====
Commissioner James Osborne was born of Salvation Army parents in Toledo, Ohio, July 3, 1927 and was Promoted to Glory from his home in Clearwater, FL on May 12, 2022.  He married Ruth Campbell on November 26, 1945 and was honorably discharged from the United States Army on October 17, 1946.  They entered The Salvation Army School for Officer's Training as part of the Warriors Session and commissioned in June 1947, being appointed to Nashville, TN.  From 1948 to 1965, he served in Memphis, TN; Owensboro, KY; Chattanooga, TN; and Miami, FL.
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From 1965 to 1980, Commissioner Osborne's career took him to Salvation Army administrative assignments in five Divisions of the Southern Territory: Divisional Secretary, Kentucky-Tennessee Division; General Secretary, North/South Carolina Division; Territorial Public Relations Secretary; and Divisional Commander in Maryland/Northern West Virginia, National Capital/Virginia and Florida.
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In 1980, he was appointed as the Western Territory's Chief Secretary with headquarters in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.  From January 1984 to October 1986, he was National Chief Secretary.  In 1986 he became the Territorial Commander for the USA Southern Territory and was then selected as National Commander, Verona, NJ, in 1989.  While National Commander, he relocated the National Headquarters to Alexandria, VA.
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Upon his appointment as National Commander, Commissioner Osborne stated: "I do not believe in simply maintaining or rearranging the status quo. I believe that we have not done our best thing yet. I intend by God's help to make a difference in this appointment."
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Commissioner Osborne has been an articulate spokesman for The Salvation Army and its spiritual principals.
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"I believe that the great act and fact of the ages is that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself,” he said. “I believe that every other act of history pales into insignificance when seen in the light of the overwhelming love of God as expressed in Christ Jesus.  And I believe that the subsequent birth and burgeoning of The Salvation Army are not in the yesterdays but are rather in the tomorrows.  There is work to do and I'm here to do it!"
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Throughout his life, Commissioner Osborne has been widely recognized for his leadership skills.  He is listed in Who's Who in Religion and Who's Who in America. He served on various Salvation Army National Commissions; past chairman of the Commissioners Conference and the Advisory Council to the General.  He was elected President of [[High Council|The Salvation Army High Council]], responsible for electing a new General in 1993.
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Commissioner Osborne attended the International College for Officers in London, England in 1964.  He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Public Service Degree by Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts in 1991.
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He was preceded in in death by his parents, Lt. Colonels Al and Gladys Osborne, and wife Ruth on March 2, 2017.
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Commissioner Osborne and Lt. Colonel Shirley Anderson were married on August 11, 2018 in Lake Junaluska, NC.  They have shared the last three-plus years enjoying each other and spending time with their loved ones.
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Commissioner Osborne is survived by his loving wife, Lt. Colonel Shirley Osborne, daughter Lt. Colonel Connie (Don) Canning, brothers: Ronnie (Ruth) and Harry Osborne, foster daughter Minnie Orsburn, grandchildren: Captain Philip (Elaine) Canning, Stephanie (Victor) Rutledge, six wonderful great-grandchildren: Abigail and Jackson Canning, Caroline, Taylor, Allison and Levi Rutledge, as well as nieces and nephews and a host of friends.
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His Celebration of Life Service will be on Friday, May 20, 2022, at The Salvation Army Clearwater Citadel Corps, 1625 N. Belcher Road, Clearwater, FL. Family will receive visitors at 10:00 am, followed by the Celebration of Life Service at 11:00 am.
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Committal will follow at Memorial Park in St. Petersburg. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to The Salvation Army Clearwater Corps at the above-mentioned address.

====External====
  * [[https://southernusa.salvationarmy.org/uss/news/promoted-to-glory-commissioner-james-osborne-of/|Obituary]]
  * [[https://www.hamiltoncountyherald.com/Story.aspx?id=2471&date=8%2F5%2F2011|Hamilton County Herald]]
  * [[https://www.thewarcry.org/articles/in-memoriam/|In Memoriam]]