James Francis Goble was the husband of now-renowned mathematician Katherine Coleman Goble Johnson. Through her rigorous and supreme performance in manual calculations and impeccable accuracy, he has broken down barriers of age, race, and gender before any feminist movement.
Quick Facts
| Full name | James Francis Goble |
| Nickname | James |
| Birthday | March 29, 1913 |
| Sun sign | Aries |
| Place of birth | Marion, Smyth County, Virginia, United States. |
| Date of death | December 20, 1956 |
| Cause of death | Inoperable brain tumor |
| Nationality | American |
| Parents | Charles Jackson Goble Sr. (father), Anna Thomas-Goble (Smith) (mother) |
| Siblings | Helen Goble McClanahan (sister) and three brothers |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse | Katherine Johnson |
| Children | Constance, Katherine, and Joylette (Daughters) |
James Francis Goble Childhood
On March 29, 1913, James was born as the son of father Charles Jackson Goble, Sr. and mother Anna Thomas-Goble (Smith). He awoke in Marion, Smyth County, Virginia, United States.
James grew up in a small middle-class family. He had four siblings, the whereabouts of three of whom are unknown. Three of them are believed to be brothers, with the fourth being his sister, Helen Goble McClanahan.
Born and raised in an African-origin American family, he was subjected to the hidden discrimination that pervaded American society at the time.
He did, however, graduate and begin a career as a teacher.
James Francis Goble’s Wife
Katherine, his wife, is the only love of his life that is known to the media. On August 26, 1918, she was born into a simple nuclear family with working parents.
Her father was a farmer, and her mother taught small kids in a nearby school. Katherine and James were both born and raised in West Virginia. Her ancestors were from White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia.
James admired his partner’s hard work and dedication. She had a brilliant mind that she honed despite social discrimination.
Katherine graduated from West Virginia State College in 1937 as a Mathematics and French major. She married James two years after graduating.
In 1953, James and his family relocated to Newport News in search of employment. In his seventeen years of marriage to Katherine, James had three children. They are his beautiful daughters: Constance, Katherine, and Joylette.
James Francis Goble Career
James was a chemistry instructor. He lived in Marion and married his choice of an educated and elegant university graduate lady. Life was going well until the mid-nineteenth century, when James fell.
When James was in their hometown, he became ill. His illness became a protracted battle against an inoperable brain tumor (cancer). This was both expensive and exhausting.
His wife was forced to work because he was unable to continue working.
It is believed that James and his wife worked multiple jobs, such as teaching, to support their children throughout their lives. Katherine had to wait for a chance to enroll in a university degree and get a job at NASA because she was a unique brain inside a black woman during times of discrimination.
James Francis Goble’s Death
In 1953, NASA hired his wife. James left this world three years after she was hired. Katherine was in a difficult situation. She was caught between a serious job and a seriously ill husband suffering from a fatal disease. During these years, his family focused on treatment and hope.
James was battling cancer and had a difficult time taking his last breath. The unwavering support of his family was the only hope he had in his final days. On December 20, 1956, at the age of 43, he breathed his last.
