James Alfred Copeland Biography


	This biography appears on pages 97-98 in "History of Dakota Territory" 
	by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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			JUDGE JAMES ALFRED COPELAND.  

	Judge James Alfred Copeland, of Clay county, was born in 
Winnebago county, Illinois, September 21, 1852, a son of Alfred William 
and Hannah (Brewster) Copeland, the latter a descendant of Elder 
Brewster, who came over in the Mayflower. The father was of Scotch-
Irish descent, although members of the family have lived in this 
country for many generations. He was a farmer by occupation and was 
well known in his locality, his demise, which occurred in 1876, being 
the occasion of sincere regret. His widow survived for only a few 
years. They were the parents of three children. George, who when last 
heard from was living in the mountains of California and was a great 
hunter, was for several years United States commissioner at Tobacco, 
Montana. Caroline, the only daughter, is deceased. The subject of this 
review is the youngest of the family.  

	Judge Copeland grew to manhood upon his father's farm and 
attended the district school until he was sixteen years of age. He then 
entered Wheaton College at Wheaton, Illinois, and remained a student in 
that institution for two years. He then returned to the homestead and 
following his father's death engaged in buying stock for one season. He 
then went to Fairmont, Nebraska, and for two years farmed there, 
cultivating land which he had purchased with money that he had earned. 
From Nebraska he returned to Iowa and engaged in the stock business for 
two years, after which he removed to Dakota territory and entered the 
real-estate field in Vermillion, dealing in realty for three years. He 
then entered the employ of a machine company, maintaining his 
connection with that concern for seven years. During that time he 
studied law and in 1890 was admitted to the bar of South Dakota. 
However, he held his position with the machine company for some time 
after his admission to the practice of law. After following his 
profession for a time he was elected clerk of the court of Clay county 
and faithfully discharged the duties of that office during a term of 
four years. At the end of that time he resumed the practice of law and 
two years later was elected county judge, which once he has held ever 
since, with the exception of two years, during which time he was 
engaged in private practice. The county judge has probate and limited 
civil and criminal jurisdiction. Judge Copeland is well fitted for the 
bench as he adds to the necessary legal training and experience an 
openness of mind and fine sense of justice that enables him to make the 
impartiality of the bench a fact and not merely a theory.  

	Judge Copeland married Miss Estella E. Hays, a native of 
Illinois, who, however, was taken by her parents to Sioux Falls, South 
Dakota, when that region was just being opened up by white settlers. 
The marriage of Judge and Mrs. Copeland was celebrated at Rockford, 
Illinois, on the 27th of December, 1880, and they have had eight 
children: Jay W., who died in infancy; Flora E., the wife of LeRoy 
Cowles, a farmer of Hamburg, Iowa; Winfield O., a painter residing in 
Vermillion, South Dakota; Nettie and Jamie, both deceased; Laurel H., 
an expert produce man, who is still living at home; and Doris and 
Susan, who are high-school students.  

	Judge Copeland is a republican and his religious affiliation is 
with the Baptist church. He is widely known in local Masonic circles, 
being a member of the blue lodge, chapter, commandery and the Eastern 
Star. He has held offices in the bodies of which he is a member and in 
twenty out of the last twenty-one years has been in office. His 
connection with the Masonic fraternity extends over three decades, as 
he was taken into the order in 1884. He is the author of an 
authoritative and excellently written history of Incense Lodge, No. 2, 
A. F. & A. M., and in many ways has done much for the good of the 
order. He is also a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and has 
been clerk of the local lodge for seven or eight years. The record of 
Judge Copeland as a man and jurist is one that will bear the closest 
investigation and scrutiny, as he has in all of life's relations been 
guided by high ethical principles.