Horne was born July 24, 1874 in Berlin, New Hampshire to John Roberts Horne and Sarah (Wheeler) Horne. Like his two older brothers, Irving Williams Horne and Rev. John Roberts Horne Jr., James H. Horne attended Bowdoin College where he was a member of Delta Upsilon and involved in a number of extracurricular activities including football and track and field. Horne was a four-year member of the varsity athletic (track and field) team, serving as the team's captain his junior and senior years. In the first two years of what has become the annual "State Meet" between Bates College, Colby College, and Bowdoin, Horne won the 100-yard dash (1895, 1896), 120 yard high hurdles (1895, 1896), 220 yard dash (1895), 220 intermediate hurdles (1896), and long jump (1896). In 1896, his time of 16.2 seconds in the 110 hurdles was the fourth best time in the nation. Horne graduated from Bowdoin in 1897 with an A.B.
