James Joseph Greve was born on a farm in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana on February 19, 1880 where he resided until moving with his parents at age ten to New Orleans, Louisiana. Greve finished his public school education in New Orleans, and then for the next five or six years pursued higher education attending night school. Around 1900, he also began working for the Morgans' Louisiana Railroad and Steamship Company, a subsidiary of the Southern Pacific Company. Greve remained in employ of LRSC until 1909 fulfilling various positions. On February 9, 1907, J. J. Greve married May Cauwenberg of New Orleans, Louisiana with whom he had four daughters: Irma, Elsie, Louise, and Bernie. In 1909, Greve was transferred to the general office of Southern Pacific at Houston, Texas, where he served in the Freight Claims Department. In 1914, he was appointed agent for the Southern Pacific office at Nacogdoches, Texas. While employed with Southern Pacific, Greve continued studying law, and on June 14, 1916 was admitted to the Texas State Bar. In early 1917, Greve left Nacogdoches for approximately the next two years to serve as agent for Southern Pacific in Houston during World War I. In December of 1918, after the Armistice, Greve was granted a leave of absence to pursue practicing law. Greve left Houston to return to Nacogdoches and began working at the law firm of C. A. Hodges. Hodges and Greve continued from that time forward as partners until the senior member of the firm passed away in 1933. After Hodges's death, Greve maintained the firm as his personal practice until Jack C. Pierce came to work at the firm in 1958. Pierce recalled that many people referred to Greve as Judge Greve, though Greve was not technically a judge. Greve earned a reputation in the community for being honest and fair and quit the practice of law just prior to his death on November 20, 1958.