Hon. James McCoy, the pioneer lawyer and one of the founders of Fulton City, Ill., has been an attorney in
Northwestern Illinois for nearly 50 years, and the record of his career is such as to reflect most honorably upon his character as a man.
He was born in Greenbrier Co., Va., Sept. 22, 1816. William McCoy his grandfather in the paternal line,
was of Scotch origin and was born in Virginia. He married a Miss Hamilton, who was of mixed Welsh and Irish parentage. They settled in Greenbrier County during the stirring times that preceded the Revolution, when the Indians of the Atlantic seaboard were at the height of their atrocities, which condition was, to a great extent, attributable to the influence of the Tory element. Forts were constructed by the frontiersmen, and in one of these in Greenbrier County, William McCoy, father of Judge McCoy, was born, while his parents were seeking protection from Indian hostilities. William Mccoy (2d) attained to man's estate in his native county, and married Agnes, daughter of James and Elizabeth (Gillian) Hanna. The former was born in Ireland, and when a boy came to America and settled
in Greenbrier county. His wife was of Scotch origin and was born in the same county, in 1784, and was of Scotch and Irish descent. There were 12
children in Wm. McCoy's family, all of whom grew
to maturity, and eight of whom are still living. Of these, our subject is fourth in order of birth. James
received an academic education in Monroe Co., Va., and was graduated in 1836. He read law till near
his majority, when he came to Illinois with a view of
establishing himself in his profession in some of the
new towns of the West. He reached the Mississippi River at the point now embraced by the city of
Fulton, May 9, 1837. Here he found John Baker,
on whose claim a rude attempt had been made to
plat a town site.
This survey was abandoned, and a new one made
under the management of Mr. McCoy, assisted by Henry C. Fellows, John B. Jenkins and George
Kellogg. These four kept bachelor's ball in a little
shanty on the river bank near the present steamboat
landing. For several months they led an isolated
and dreary life, fighting musquitoes and shaking with
ague. Occasionally a curious passenger would land
from some passing boat and, after looking the situation over, would go on. To the eastward of them
was an almost unbroken stretch of wild and unsettled
country extending to Dixon. Not even a trail led to
the young city. Finally a few venturesome spirits
joined them. The owners of the lots at that time
were mainly Messrs. McCoy, Henry C. Fellows, John
B. Jenkins, George W. Kellogg, Alvin Humphries, R. J. Jenks, John Baker, Lyman Blake and Jeremiah
Humphries.
In the fall of the same year he went to Champaign Co., Ohio, where lie was joined by his brother,
and they returned to Fulton. He sold his land,
consisting of one-sixteenth of the platted tract,
chiefly on credit, and, on the completion of his
arrangements, lie returned to Virginia., reaching home after an absence of 11months, in the spring
of 1838. He remained in Virginia until July of the
the same year, when he returned to Fulton to make
collections. The financial crisis, which had convulsed the business world, had reached Fulton, and
he was not able to adjust the business which had
brought him there a second time, and he was
obliged to re-purchase his property to secure himself
from loss. He stayed in Fulton until winter, and
made further purchases of land. He went to Ohio,
where he passed the winter, and was there married,
April 23, 1839, to Mis Elizabeth Russell, daughter
of James and Jane Russell. Mrs. McCoy was born
in Champaign Co., Ohio. Nov. 19, 1819.
In October, 1839, Mr. McCoy returned a third
time to Fulton, to be present at the land sales. He
soon determined to make this his future home. One
year later, the village having acquired a population of
three or four hundred, lie entered upon the practice
of his profession. His marked ability and untiring
energy soon placed him among the foremost of his
profession in the West, and his practice extended to
the neighboring Courts, throughout Illinois and Iowa.
He was admitted to practice in the Supreme Courts
of both these States, where he conducted success-
fully many important suits.
From the outset of his career as an attorney, Judge
McCoy has controlled an extensive practice; and, although lie has a wide repute as a chancery lawyer,
he is a master of every branch of the profession.
Throughout his entire practice Judge McCoy has
pursued one undeviating course of strict adherence
to the letter of the law under the direction of authoritative and acknowledged interpreters. He is an
acknowledged leader in the legal ranks of Whiteside
County, has no superior as a counselor, and but few
peers. He has conducted his business singly with
the exception of the period in which he was associated with his two oldest sons. William J., a practicing attorney at Morrison and Judge of the County
Court, is a man of peerless ability and is rapidly
attaining a foremost position as a chancery lawyer.
His character, formed under the direction of his
father, is one of the best evidences of the influence
by which it was involved. Albert R., an attorney at Clinton, Iowa, is one of the most brilliant advocates
of the Northwest, and is a man of spotless record.
In 1851, while a project was under consideration before the Illinois Legislature to construct a railroad north and south through the State, Judge McCoy originated the idea of an east and west line from the Lakes to Council Bluffs on the Missouri River, to cross the Mississippi at Fulton and Lyons. He at once called a railroad meeting at Lyons, Iowa, just
opposite Fulton City. His plan was to get the Iowa Legislature, which was then in session, to pass an act
to incorporate a railway between Lyons and Council Bluffs. The meeting was well attended, and Judge
McCoy was appointed Chairman of a committee of four, whose duty it was to present the matter to the
Legislature and urge the passage of such an act. His associates upon the committee were John B.
Bope, Benjamin Lake and D. P. McDonald. The petition was presented on Monday morning, and on
the following morning an act of incorporation was passed by the House. It was sent to the Senate
by a special messenger, where it was introduced. Senator Leffingwell procured a suspension of the
rules and it passed to its third reading in 20 minutes, after which it received the Governor's signature and
immediately became a law, in January, 1851.
In order to procure the passage of this act, Judge
McCoy had pledged himself to secure the passage of
an act by the Illinois Legislature to grant a charter
for a railroad from Fulton to intersect the proposed
Illinois Central Road at or near Dixon. He immediately called a railroad meeting at Fulton, and
secured a well signed petition for a charter for a railroad from Fulton City eastward. Although the Illi-
nois Legislature was almost at the close of its session,
by prompt and energetic action he secured before its
adjournment a passage of the bill he desired, which provided for th~ construction of the Mississippi &
Rock River Junction Railroad, now the Chicago & Northwestern.
No sooner were these preliminaries successfully
accomplished than a serious obstacle arose in the
form of another line of road just chartered to run
from Beloit, Wis., to Rock Island, Ill. The interests of the two roads were in conflict. A desperate
effort was made by the managers of the latter road to defeat the project of building the Mississippi &
Rock River Junction Railroad. Mr. McCoy took up
the gauntlet, and with his characteristic energy called
railroad meetings, made as many as three speeches
a week in the interest of the road, until the total
amout of capital stock was subscribed. He spent
three years in soliciting an aggregate of $750,000.
He secured a topographical map of the wstern slope
from the Pacific to the top of the Sierras, which he
used in his address, and prophesied that within 25
years the achievements would take place which he
actually did witness within 17 years!
May 1, 1852, at a meeting of stockholders held
at Union Grove, the following named gentlemen
were elected officers of the road: James McCoy,
President; Directors-J. T. Atkinson, Royal Jacobs,
Charles Dement, Benjamin Lake, Elijah Buel, John
Phelps and A. W. Benton.
Judge McCoy was still the leading spirit in this enterprise, and by wise and close procedure the con-
struction of the road was assured. He issued the
first 100,000 in bonds, and let the contract to build
the road. Ground was first broken in February, 1853,
and in April following the Michigan Central and
Galena & Chicago Union Railroad Corn panies came
forward and took stock to the amount of S405,000
in that portion of the road lying between Dixon and
Fulton. From that date its success was assured.
Mr. McCoy was elected its first President and
served as director of the road several years, and
as the attorney of the company under its different
managements till about 1879, when he resigned, to
devote himself to his local practice.
He was elected Judge of the County Court of
Whiteside County, in 1857, with common-law. jurisdiction, but resigned in his third year of service, as
he preferred his regular practice. He was elected a
Delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1869-70, to form a new State Constitution, and was made
Chairman of one of the most important committees,
that of State, County and Municipal Indebtedness. He also served on the Judiciary Committee and on
three others of great importance.
Judge McCoy was led through his warm interest
in educational matters to accept a place on the Board
of Trustees of the Illinois Soldiers' College, located
at Fulton City, now known as the "Northern College
of Illinois," and held that position several years.
In politics Mr. McCoy was originally a Whig and cast his first Presidential vote for Harrrison. On the
adjustment of political matters and the consequent re-organization of parties, he became a Republican, and has voted with that party since.
He was a Delegate to the National Convention of 1864, which renominated Abraham Lincoln for the Presidency, and was a Presidential Elector of 1868.
Mr. and Mrs. have had a family of seven children, of whom six are living; Melvina is the widow of Hon. Robert E. Logan, of Union Grove; William J. mrried Marie Aylesworth. Addison W. married Georgiana Freeman,
and is practicing medicine at Wichita, Kan; Augustine is a lumber merchant of Iowa; Edward, the youngest, is a lumber dealer of Sioux Rapids, Iowa.
Portrait and Biographical Whiteside County
