James Avent
James Monroe Avent was a Standard Oil executive based in China from 1919 until 1949. Son of noted artist Mayna Treanor Avent, Avent arrived in China shortly after World War I and, apart from a period during World War II, lived there with his family.Early life
James Avent was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee in 1895. He attended the University of the South from 1915 until 1917 after which he fought for the United States during World War I.China
After the end of the First World War, Avent joined Standard Oil and was assigned to the company's Tsingtao office. Later, he was transferred with his family among a number of Chinese cities. During this time Harriet Nelson, the sister of Avent's wife Jeanette, met and married famed World War II submarine commander Mush Morton.
Avent lived in China until 1949 after which he retired with his family to Sewanee, Tennessee. He lived there until his death in 1995.
