James McClurg was born in Hampton, Virginia. Following graduation from The College of William and Mary, he studied medicine abroad, receiving a degree from the University of Edinburgh in 1770. McClurg returned to Virginia in 1773 and served as surgeon general of Virginia state troops during the Revolutionary War. He married Elizabeth Selden (c. 1760–1815) in 1779, the same year as his appointment as professor of anatomy and medicine at William and Mary. McClurg’s political career began with a seat at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, where he supported a strong executive branch. (He left the convention in early August and thus did not sign the Constitution.) He subsequently served three one-year terms (1797–98, 1800–01, 1803–04) as mayor of Richmond. James McClurg died in Richmond on 9 July 1823, survived by his daughter Elizabeth.