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James H. Roth
A thesis prepared by Jorge Arman
Including -
The Early Years - 1887 to 1925
The Rotary Years - 1925 to 1942
Roth, Rotary and the Church
"Don Jim" - The Man
Appendix #1 - Miscellaneous Photos and reports
Appendix #2 - Last Will and Obituary
The Early Years - 1887 to 1925
Isaac Frederick Roth was born in Niederbrund, Alsace-Lorraine, January 26, 1829.
He emigrated to the United States of America when he was 19.
By 1872 he was well established in Ventura, California. He had a partner, Luis Arnaz, and together they
owned a general merchandise store.
Juanita Mary Foxen was born in the Misión La Purísima, Santa Bárbara, California, on February 10, 1844. Her father
was a very successful adventurer and her mother was a descendant of the old Spanish settlers.
They met and they married in 1872. They built a house in Ventura in 1875, (724 Main Street) and by 1886 they had
five children: four girls and a boy.
Isaac and Juanita Roth, 1873. The Roth family: Caroline Mary, Isaac, Frederick Joseph,
Juanita,
Matilda Elvira (on lap) and Bertha in 1886 The sixth child was born on August 22, 1887, and was given the name of James Henry Francis.
Isaac Roth died on February 4, 1913; Juanita, on January 20, 1925.
 Their last Picture
 James attended elementary school
in Ventura and graduated from Ventura Union High School in June, 1906.
He learned Spanish and Portuguese from his mother and friends.
Ventura Union High School. 1906 Graduation picture. James has been identified with number 8.
After graduation, he worked briefly for the Honorable Benjamin T. Williams, a retired judge who had
his own law office, and then for a big Chicago distributor of California products, J. K. Armsby, where his job
as a cashier included also selling beans and black-eye peas.
About 1914 he was hired by Procter and Gamble to sell their products in Mexico.
He was in Nogales when Pancho Villa rode into town with his troops that same year.
In 1916 he made a decision that would change his life: he joined the consular service and was
appointed to serve as vice-consul in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
He stayed there from January 1916 to May 1918, and then was transferred to Lima, Peru.
In August 1921 he was sent to Recife, Brazil, and in March 1923 to Manaus, Brazil.
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