James Conley “Jim” Justice II, the former 36th governor of West Virginia and current U.S. senator, has financial interests in coal, timber, agriculture, tourism and other industries, but, prior to running for political office, was best known as the owner of the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs. He was born April 27, 1951, in Charleston to James Conley Justice and Edna Ruth Perry Justice. He grew up in Raleigh County and attended the University of Tennessee, later transferring to Marshall University where he received his bachelor and master's degrees.

After college, Justice became involved in the family business. In 1977, he started Bluestone Farms, an operation that grew to more than 50,000 acres in four states and is the largest grain producer on the East Coast. During that time, he also developed Stoney Brook Plantation, a 15,000-acre hunting and fishing preserve in Monroe County. After the death of his father in 1993, Justice became the president of Bluestone Industries and Bluestone Coal Corporation. Over the next 15 years, the Justice operations expanded to include numerous businesses, including Christmas tree farms, cotton gins, turf grass operations, and golf courses. In 2009, Justice sold the family's coal operations in West Virginia to Mechel, a Russian company, and in 2015 bought the operations back for about a penny on the dollar. At the time, Justice was the president and CEO of about 50 companies.

Justice purchased the Greenbrier from CSX in May 2009, surprising many who anticipated another buyer for the resort, which was facing bankruptcy. He also purchased the Greenbrier Sporting Club, a private golf and residential community on the grounds of the resort.

Justice's ownership brought substantial change to the Greenbrier. A casino—complete with a room for high rollers—opened with great fanfare in 2010. That year, the resort also launched the Greenbrier Classic, a golf tournament that is part of the PGA Tour. A professional sports training facility opened at the Greenbrier in 2014, hosting the New Orleans Saints football team’s training camp (2014-2016), Cleveland Browns (2023-2024), and Houston Texans (2025). Other major projects planned for the Greenbrier have included a deluxe condominium complex and a $250 million medical facility. Justice removed himself from active management of the resort after his election as governor.

After purchasing the Greenbrier, Justice invested in other West Virginia properties, as well. He bought the Resort at Glade Springs in 2010 and the Black Knight Country Club in Beckley in 2011. In 2010, Justice's company purchased 4,500 acres in Albemarle County, Virginia, from MeadWestvaco, and in 2011, the company bought the historic Flowerdew Hundred plantation on the James River. The plantation, which Justice’s company put back on the market in 2017, was the site of one of the earliest English settlements in America. In 2012, Justice purchased Wintergreen Resort near Charlottesville, Virginia, and sold it in 2015.

With a net worth estimated at $1.2 billion in 2011, Justice made Forbes Magazine’s list of billionaires. In 2021, following business dealings that left Justice personally responsible for $850 million of debt, Forbes dropped Justice from its billionaire list. In 2025, Forbes reported his wealth as "less than zero."

One of Justice's greatest passions is sports. He served as president of the Beckley Little League and has coached basketball at every level. Justice, a resident of Lewisburg since 2001, has been the girls’ basketball coach at Greenbrier East High School since 2003. In 2011, he also became head coach of the boys’ basketball team, the only high school coach of both boys’ and girls’ teams at the state Class AAA. In discussing the coaching position, Justice said, "There are three things I know that I can do, and that's shoot a shotgun, make a deal and coach basketball." After becoming governor, he stepped down as boys’ basketball coach in September 2017 but has remained coach of the girls’ team while serving as governor and U.S. senator. His girls' teams have won state championships at the West Virginia Girls' Basketball Tournament in 2012 and 2026, the latter while serving as a U.S. senator.

He and his wife, Cathy, have a son and a daughter who have joined Justice in the family business. In 2015, Jim Justice became a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor. In 2016, he won the Democratic primary and defeated Republican Bill Cole in the general election, receiving 49% of all votes cast.

He began his term as governor with a colorful inaugural speech in January 2017. In August of that year, he changed his party affiliation to Republican. His first major initiative as governor was the $2.8 billion Roads to Prosperity highway and bridge construction and maintenance program. In an October 2017 special election, state voters approved the sale of $1.6 billion in general obligation bonds to finance the improvements. Although turnout was low, about 10 percent of eligible voters, the measure passed in a landslide, receiving 73 percent of the vote. By the time Justice left office in January 2025, the program had built or rehabilitated 150 bridges across the state as well as Interstate 70 in the Wheeling area and portions of most other major interstates and highways.

The last year of Justice’s first term was marked by the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor mobilized the National Guard to make and distribute protective masks, disburse supplies, and help disseminate vaccines.

In November 2020, he defeated Democrat Ben Salango to win reelection. At his January 2021 inauguration, he introduced to the public his pet English bulldog Babydog, who would become virtually a mascot of Justice's second term, traveling with the governor as he visited sites throughout the state and even making an appearance in a permanent capitol mural.

The first half of Justice's second gubernatorial term was marked by the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and the continuation of his road-building agenda. He and the Republican-held legislature also cut taxes, including the personal income tax, and launched an "Almost Heaven" tourism campaign to promote the state.

In April 2023, Justice announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democrat (later independent) Joe Manchin. In May 2024, Justice won the Republican primary by a decisive 34-point margin over his closest competitor, Alex Mooney, setting up a general election matchup against Wheeling mayor Democrat Glenn Elliott. Justice’s campaign was overshadowed by lawsuits related to unpaid debts from his private businesses, including defaulted bank loans, unpaid West Virginia sales taxes, and outstanding property taxes in multiple counties. Trustees twice moved to foreclose on the Greenbrier Resort, scheduling its auction, but Justice’s corporation settled the debts just before each sale. He dismissed the legal actions as a “political stunt.”

In November 2024, he defeated Elliott by a wide margin. He was sworn in to the U.S. Senate on January 14, 2025, succeeding Manchin.