James Hamilton Couper (March 5, 1794 – July 3, 1866) was an American planter and slaver who at his peak controlled more than 1,500 slaves.Bagwell, James (2002). ''Rice Gold: James Hamilton Couper and Plantation Life on the Georgia Coast''. Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press. 193 pp. .

Biography

Couper was born at

Sunbury, Georgia Sunbury is a ghost town in Liberty County, Georgia. Established in 1758, the town was mostly abandoned by the mid-1800s. The town is located on the south bank of the Midway River, in an area that was first settled by Europeans in the 1750s. Th ...

, March 5, 1794. He joined the sophomore class in

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

, in 1811, from St. Mary's College, Baltimore, and graduated in 1814. After his graduation he returned home, and in 1815 made a voyage to Europe for purposes of study and travel. On his return he became a planter, and in this occupation his life was mostly spent. His plantations attracted the especial notice of travelers, among others of Sir

Charles Lyell Sir Charles Lyell, 1st Baronet, (14 November 1797 – 22 February 1875) was a Scottish geologist who demonstrated the power of known natural causes in explaining the earth's history. He is best known today for his association with Charles ...

. He labored, not without success, to improve the cultivation of cotton and rice. The experiment of pressing oil from cotton seed, in which he engaged, he abandoned after a year's trial. He was one of the contractors in the construction of the Brunswick Canal. Couper was aboard the ''Pulaski'' steamer in June 1838 when its boiler exploded. He was one of only 59 to survive the wreck. Couper was a man of varied culture, and Christ Church in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

, planned by him, is a monument of his taste and skill in architecture. His library was among the most extensive of the private libraries in the South. He kept aloof from public life, and only on two occasions did he consent to take office. Once, when the office of

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

in his county had become difficult and dangerous, in consequence of the effort made to defeat the collection of debts, he accepted and executed it. Again, as a delegate to the Convention called in Georgia during the excitement on the question of

Nullification Nullification may refer to: * Nullification (U.S. Constitution), a legal theory that a state has the right to nullify any federal law deemed unconstitutional with respect to the United States Constitution ** Nullification crisis, the 1832 confron ...

, he helped to defeat the plan of disunion. So, too, he was opposed to the more recent movement for

secession Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a Polity, political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal i ...

, and during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

lived in the closest seclusion. He married, shortly after his return from Europe, Miss Wylly, a lady of his neighborhood, who with two daughters and three sons survived him. His son Hamilton Couper (1829–1862) died of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...

. Couper died at his temporary residence Carteret's Point, Ga., July 3, 1866, aged 72 years.

Legacy

Couper is commemorated in the scientific name of a species of North American snake, ''

Drymarchon couperi The eastern indigo snake (''Drymarchon couperi'') is a species of large, non-venomous snake in the Family (biology), family Colubridae. Native to the southeastern United States, it is the longest native snake species in the country. Taxonomy ...

''. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Couper, J. H.", p. 60).

References

External links

Hopeton-on-the-Altamaha
historical marker
Hamilton Plantation
historical marker * {{DEFAULTSORT:Couper, James Hamilton 1794 births 1866 deaths People from Liberty County, Georgia Yale College alumni American slave owners 19th-century American planters

Biography

Legacy

See also

References

External links