Couper was born at Sunbury, Georgia, March 5, 1794. He joined the sophomore class in Yale College, 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. 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.[1]
Couper was a man of varied culture, and Christ Church in Savannah, Georgia, 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 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, he helped to defeat the plan of disunion. So, too, he was opposed to the more recent movement for secession, and during the American Civil War 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.
Couper died at his temporary residence Carteret's Point, Ga., July 3, 1866, aged 72 years.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Yale Obituary Record.
Legacyedit
Couper is commemorated in the scientific name of a species of North American snake, Drymarchon couperi.[2]
^ abBagwell, James (2002). Rice Gold: James Hamilton Couper and Plantation Life on the Georgia Coast. Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press. 193 pp. ISBN978-0865546516.
^Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN978-1-4214-0135-5. ("Couper, J. H.", p. 60).
james, hamilton, couper, march, 1794, july, 1866, american, planter, slaver, peak, controlled, more, than, slaves, born4, march, 1794, georgia, died3, june, 1866, aged, simons, alma, materyale, college, occupationplanter, slave, owner, contents, biography, leg. 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 1 James Hamilton CouperBorn4 March 1794 Georgia Died3 June 1866 aged 72 St Simons Alma materYale College OccupationPlanter slave owner Contents 1 Biography 2 Legacy 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksBiography editCouper was born at Sunbury Georgia March 5 1794 He joined the sophomore class in Yale College 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 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 1 Couper was a man of varied culture and Christ Church in Savannah Georgia 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 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 he helped to defeat the plan of disunion So too he was opposed to the more recent movement for secession and during the American Civil War 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 Couper died at his temporary residence Carteret s Point Ga July 3 1866 aged 72 years nbsp This article incorporates public domain material from the Yale Obituary Record Legacy editCouper is commemorated in the scientific name of a species of North American snake Drymarchon couperi 2 See also editGascoigne BluffReferences edit a b Bagwell James 2002 Rice Gold James Hamilton Couper and Plantation Life on the Georgia Coast Macon Georgia Mercer University Press 193 pp ISBN 978 0865546516 Beolens Bo Watkins Michael Grayson Michael 2011 The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press xiii 296 pp ISBN 978 1 4214 0135 5 Couper J H p 60 External links editHopeton on the Altamaha historical marker Hamilton Plantation historical marker James Hamilton Couper at Find a Grave Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title James Hamilton Couper amp oldid 1189075926, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
