James Gudger Stikeleather was born in Iredell County, North Carolina, on April 7, 1872. Stikeleather was a real estate agent and insurance broker in Asheville, North Carolina. He served on the State Highway Commission from 1919 to 1932, serving for part of that time as chairman. Stikeleather died in Biltmore Forest (Buncombe County) on March 17, 1948.