James Dean Torrance was the son of a miner in backwoods of Kentucky at the turn of the century. His father died when he was very young and he had to go work the mines at the age of 9. He did his best to support himself and his mother until she died the next year. However, he realized early on that if he didn't do his best to educate himself, he'd never move above his station. He borrowed a book on Abraham Lincoln from a neighbor and learned a great deal about Lincoln's childhood, which inspired him to begin educating himself. He began doing work for his wealthier neighbors in what spare time he had and taking books as payment. Eventally, his new hobby was discovered by his supervisor at the mine and the man began bringing him books to borrow.
One evening in October, his supervisor asked him to stay late and speak to the owner of the mine. Terrified that he might have done something wrong, Torrance timidly entered the shack. A man sat in the dim light of the oil lamp, and asked him to shut the door behind him. When the two were alone, the man asked James what he wanted most out of life. Quietly, he answered that he wanted to study at a university so that he could give his family a better life than he had had. The man nodded and James was shocked when he offered to pay the young man's way.
A few months later, James found himself enrolled in a prominent University in Ohio. He excelled in his classes, discovering his true calling and studying to become a teacher. A few years later, he graduated in the top of his class. The night after his graduation, he was visited by his mysterious benefactor, who revealed himself as Robert Slaughter and then inducted James into the society of the vampires.
While James had some nagging doubts, he didn't have a lot time for them, as he now had to deal with a double curriculum, as Slaughter instructed him in the ways of the Camarilla and had professor's brought in for special education to further his degree. Time passed and James came to realize that the benefits outweighed the downside.
The 20's came and James was given his first Professorship at a college in Chicago. He remained there, teaching night classes for several years, until he learned Slaughter had been destroyed during the Great Depression by a rioting mob. He then spent a few years wandering, searching for himself. In Boston, during the 1950's, he landed a new job at a prominent university, where he met Richard Lee. He was taken with the young man's ability to draw interesting parralels between different historical events and the two became good friends. Eventually, James Embraced Lee. The two left the college when Richard graduated and applied to Milhaven Community College, where Torrance taught and Lee studied until the early 70's, when Lee moved out west. Torrance spent the 70's in torpor, awaiting a chance when he could again teach.
He awoke again in 1992 and resumed teaching under a false name. In 1996, he met Beatrice Lowe and in a fit of rage, Embraced her. He is sad that she has since cut all contact with him, but understands how she feels and knows she will come around. After that incident he has stopped teaching directly, instead falling back on his studies, while retaining his haven on campus. He has also taken up the position as the Brujah Primogen and would vie for Prince, should no one better arrive to do the job. He does not want such responsibility, yet realizes it must be handled by someone who understands what is going on.
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