James McCoy 1811 - 1891

MCCOY, HANNA, RUSSELL

Posted By: Michael J. Kearney (email)
Date: 2/7/2008 at 13:40:58

The Clinton Herald Saturday October 3, 1891 p. 6 From the Fulton Journal we take an account of some of the many works accomplished by the late Judge McCoy, of Fulton, during his long and active life: "Judge James McCoy was born in Greenbriar county, Virginia, September 22, 1811. His parents were William and Agnes (Hanna) McCoy and were of Scotch and Irish descent. There were twelve children in this family, of which three were older than Judge James McCoy. "He received an academic education in Monroe county, Virginia, read law till he nearly attained his majority, when he came west to select a location in some of the new towns, in which to make his home and practice his profession. He reached the Mississippi river where Fulton now stands, May 9, 1837. Here he found John Baker, on whose claim an attempt had been made to plat a town site. This plat was abandoned und under new management of Judge McCoy a new survey was made and Fulton city platted. For several months with three other pioneers he lived in a cabin on the bank of the river near Cherry street. This was the frontier in those days. It was an almost unbroken wilderness between the Mississippi and Dixon. Not even a trail let to Fulton City. Occasionally a steamboat would land at this point which was about all the communication the verturesome town builders had with the world. In the fall of 1837 he sold his land, one-sixteenth of the platted city, receiving some money, and returned to Virginia, where he arrived in the spring of 1838. In the fall he returned to Fulton City to make collections from the sale of his land. Unable to obtain the money due him he re-purchased the portion of the platted city which he had sold the year previous. He remained here till winter when he returned to Champaign county, Ohio where he remainded during the winter. April 23, 1839, he married Miss Elizabeth Russell, daughter of James and Jane Russell. "In October 1839, Mr. McCoy returned to Fulton for the third time and decided to make this his home. The next year he commenced to parctice his profession. Fulton at that time had between three hundred and four hundred inhabitants. His ability and energy soon placed him among the foremost of his profession, not alone in this vicinity, but throughout the neighboring courts of Illinois and Iowa. "In 1851 Judge McCoy conceived the idea of a railroad running east and west from the great lakes to Council Bluffs on the Missouri river, crossing the Mississippi at Fulton and Lyons. He called a railroad meeting at Lyons and pushed the project with characteristic energy. He was appointed chairman of a committee of four to present the matter to the Iowa Legislature and obtain passage of the act as expeditiously as possible. The petition was presented Monday morning, and an act of incorporation was passed by the House the following morning. It was sent to the Senate by a special messenger, where it was introduced. The rules were suspended, it passed to its third reading in twenty minutes and recieved the signature of the Governor, becoming law in January, 1851. The Legislature of Illinois was near the close of the session, but Judge McCoy aided by others secured the passage of a bill before it adjourned granting a charter from Fulton City eastward, and providing for the construction of the Mississippi and Rock River Junction railroad, now owned by the Chicago & Northwestern. He call railroad meetings throughout the States and spent three years in the work of perfecting the organization of the railroad and obtaining subscriptions to stock to the amount of $750,000. May 1, 1852 at a meeting of the stock holders held at Union Grove he was elected president of the board of directors. He was still the leader of this enterprise, which at that period was a gigantic undertaking. He issued bonds to the amount of $400,000 and let the contract to build the road. Work was commenced in February, 1853 and the following April he disposed of addtional stock to the amount of $405,000 in that portion of the road between Fulton and Dixon. From that date the success of the railroad was assured. He served as director of the road several years, and as its attorney, under the different managements, till 1879, when he resigned. "He was elected Judge of the county court of Whiteside county in 1857, with common law jurisdiction, but resigned in the third of the term preferring his regular practice. He was a delegate to the constitutional convention in 1869-70 to form the State constitution. He was made chairman of the important committee on State, county, and municipal indebtedness. He also served on the judiciary committee and several others. "Judge McCoy accepted a position as trustee of the Illinois Soldiers' College, located in this city, many years ago, and retained the position after it became the Northern Illinois College. He took an active interest in the public schools, the College and all educational affairs. "In 1853 he purchased a press and material in St. Louis for the first paper established in Whiteside county. It was issued in May, 1854, and called the Whiteside Investigator, afterwards the Fulton Journal. "Previous to 1856 Judge McCoy was a Whig and cast his first presidential vote for Harrison, afterward he became a Republican and remained so. He was not a radical partisan, but held an opinion of his own on all national questions which were not at all times in harmony with the party with which he was affiliated. He was a delegate to the National convention at Baltimore in 1864 when Lincoln was re nominated, and was a Presidential elector in 1868. "Judge McCoy was a remarkable man. For fifty years he made his home in Fulton and practiced his profession, making some enemies, but more friends; building a strong, clean character and retaining an enviable reputation; winning fame and accumulating more than a competency. Fulton was the town he platted, and he ever took a great interest in city affairs and was active in promoting the city's interests. His four score years of life demonstrated the qualities he possessed. Strong mentally as well as physically, with temperate and excellent habits he preserved his health and strength and retained the possession of his faculties in a remarkable manner. His was anything but an idle life at any period. Possessing great energy, persistency, ambition and ability he was an indefatigable worker. Careful till he had investigated the matter and satisfied himself, then he was venturesome and ready for great undertakings; then he had the will and determination to complete his task; then he had courage to meet emergencies. "After so many years of active, honorable life, bearing the respect and admiration of the members of his profession throughout the State, the friendship and esteem of the citizens who knew him intimately for years, the love and reverence of his wife and children, who were present at his side to make pleasant his last hours, his life was a success and his departure from the world such as all men desire."