Copeland, James

Died: 1840-01-13 Springfield, Illinois

Flourished: Johnson County, Illinois

James Copeland was the son of James P. Copeland, who moved to the Illinois Territory in 1816, settling in Johnson County. In October 1836, Johnson County voters in a special election to replace Benjamin S. Enloe, who had resigned, elected James Copeland as a Democrat to the Illinois House of Representatives. In August 1838, Copeland won reelection to the House, serving in that body until his death.

George Washington Smith, A History of Southern Illinois (Chicago: Lewis, 1912) 3:1590; John Clayton, comp., The Illinois Fact Book and Historical Almanac, 1673-1968 (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1970), 205, 207; Theodore C. Pease, ed., Illinois Election Returns, 1818-1848, vol. 18 of Collections of the Illinois State Historical Library (Springfield: Illinois State Historical Library, 1923), 304, 312; Illinois House Journal. 1839. 11th G. A., special sess., 165-66; Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 17 January 1840, 2:2.