James Strohn Copley (August 12, 1916 – October 6, 1973) was an American journalist and newspaper publisher. He published the ''San Diego Union'' and the ''San Diego Evening Tribune'', both later merged into ''

The San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

'' in 1992, from 1947 until his death in 1973, and was president of the

Inter American Press Association The Inter American Press Association (IAPA; Spanish: ''Sociedad Interamericana de Prensa'', SIP) is a press advocacy group representing major media organizations in North America, South America and the Caribbean. It is made up of more than 1,300 ...

(1969–1970). His politics was "unabashedly conservative, Republican and pro-American". He had close associations with leading Republicans of the era, including

Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and major general in the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Re ...

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

and

Spiro Agnew Spiro Theodore Agnew (; November 9, 1918 – September 17, 1996) was the 39th vice president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1973. He is the second of two vice presidents to resign, the first being John C. ...

. Copley's presence was a chief reason that the

1972 Republican National Convention The 1972 Republican National Convention was held from August 21 to August 23, 1972, at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida. It nominated President Richard M. Nixon and Vice President Spiro T. Agnew for reelection. The conve ...

was originally planned to be in San Diego. Copley was born in

St. Johnsville, New York St. Johnsville is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Montgomery County, New York, Montgomery County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 2,598 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town co ...

, the son of Flora and John Lodwell. His parents died in the Influenza epidemic of 1917–1918. Copley was adopted at age four by Col.

Ira Clifton Copley Ira Clifton Copley (October 25, 1864 – November 2, 1947) was an American publisher, politician, and utility tycoon. From 1911 to 1923, he served 6 consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives Life Born in rural Knox County, Ill ...

, who later (in 1928) bought the ''San Diego Union'' and the ''San Diego Evening Tribune''. Copley graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1939.San Diego Historical Society
James S. Copley (1916–1973)
accessed September 20, 2009 At Yale, he served on the business staff of campus humor magazine ''

The Yale Record ''The Yale Record'' is the campus humor magazine of Yale University. Founded in 1872, it is the oldest humor magazine in the United States."History", The Yale Record, March 10, 2010. http://www.yalerecord.com/about/history/ ''The Record'' is c ...

'' with Roy D. Chapin Jr. and

Walter J. Cummings Jr. Walter Joseph Cummings Jr. (September 29, 1916 – April 24, 1999) was a United States Solicitor General and a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Education and career Born September 29, ...

After college, he went into journalism, becoming the CEO of the ''Union-Tribune'' group on Ira Copley's death in 1947. He remained CEO until his death in 1973, when his wife, Helen K. Copley, took over. The Union and the Tribune merged in 1992 to become The San Diego Union-Tribune. The Copley Press also published smaller papers in California and the Midwest, including the Torrance, California Daily Breeze, San Pedro, California News-Pilot, Aurora, Illinois Beacon-News, and the Burbank, California Daily Review. According to

Carl Bernstein Carl Milton Bernstein ( ; born February 14, 1944) is an American investigative journalist and author. While a young reporter for ''The Washington Post'' in 1972, Bernstein was teamed up with Bob Woodward, and the two did much of the original ne ...

, Copley, as CEO of

Copley Press Copley Press was a privately held newspaper business, founded in Illinois but later based in La Jolla, California. Its flagship paper was ''The San Diego Union-Tribune''. History Founder Ira Clifton Copley launched Copley Press c. 1905, eventu ...

, cooperated with the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

, which had widespread contacts in the United States media. The

University of San Diego The University of San Diego (USD) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in San Diego, California, United States. Chartered in 1949 as the independent San Diego College for Women and San Diego University ...

has a library named in honor of Copley and his wife (the Helen K. and James S. Copley Library). The Copley Library at Eaglebrook School, which Copley's son

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

attended, was a gift of James S. Copley.The Copley Library
accessed May 1, 2025 Copley resided in

La Jolla, California La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood in San Diego, California, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. The climate is mild, with an average daily temperature o ...

, and often stayed at a second home in

Borrego Springs, California Borrego Springs (''borrego'' is Spanish language, Spanish for "sheep") is a census-designated place (CDP) in northeastern San Diego County, California. It is located within the Low Desert area of Southern California. The population was 3,073 at t ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Copley, James S. 1916 births 1973 deaths American adoptees American male journalists Maria Moors Cabot Prize winners Copley family 20th-century American newspaper publishers (people) People from La Jolla, San Diego People from Borrego Springs, California 20th-century American journalists United States Navy personnel of World War II Yale University alumni