Bourne, James D.

Born: 1811-01-27 Virginia

Died: 1893-04-08 Iowa

Flourished: Iowa

James D. Bourne was a postmaster, sheriff, state legislator, and one of the first white settlers of Clinton County, Iowa. In 1812, he accompanied his parents as they moved from their native state to Kentucky, settling in Spencer County. In 1824, Bourne and his parents moved to Hannibal, Missouri, and later La Grange, Missouri. He left his parents' home at the age of twenty-one, moving to Galena, Illinois, to engage in lead mining. In January 1833, he left Galena for the lead mines at Potosi in what would become the Wisconsin Territory. He and his brother Robert constructed the first wood furnace for smelting ore in Potosi. In May 1833, he moved his lead mining operation across the Mississippi River to Dubuque, Michigan Territory. He continued to mine lead until 1836, when he quit the business and established a homestead on the Wapsipinicon River in what would become Eden Township, Clinton County, Iowa. In 1837, he became the postmaster at Wapsipinicon, and in 1840, he moved to De Witt, the county seat of Clinton County, where he remained the remainder of his life. Bourne accumulated large tracts of land in Clinton and other counties, and he also established a large stock farm. In 1842, he married Christiana Denis (Dennis), with whom he had nine children. In addition to his real estate and agricultural pursuits, Bourne took a keen interest in local and state politics. In 1840, he became the first sheriff of Clinton County, serving in that capacity until 1850. He also served as county recorder, collector, and treasurer. In 1850, Bourne was among the commissioners selected to build a new courthouse for Clinton County. From 1848 to 1850, he represented Clinton County in the Iowa House of Representatives, as a member of the Whig Party. In 1863, Bourne earned admittance to the Clinton County bar, but never practiced law.

The History of Clinton County, Iowa (Chicago: Western Historical 1879), 360, 365, 378, 423, 555-56, 636; Benjamin F. Gue, History of Iowa from the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century (New York: Century History, 1903), 3:334, 461; Pioneer Law-Makers' Association of Iowa. Reunion of 1894 (Des Moines: G. H. Ragsdale, 1894), 133-35; "James Durkee Bourne," The Iowa Legislature, accessed 27 April 2020, https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/legislator?ga=2&personID=5981; Gravestone, Elmwood Cemetery, De Witt, IA.