James Hamilton Couper

James Hamilton Couper (March 5, 1794 – July 3, 1866) was an American planter and slaver who at his peak controlled more than 1,500 slaves.

Biography Couper was born at Sunbury, Georgia, March 5, 1794. He joined the sophomore class in Yale College, in 1811, from St. Mary's College, Baltimore, and graduated in 1814. After his graduation he returned home, and in 1815 made a voyage to Europe for purposes of study and travel. On his return he became a planter, and in this occupation his life was mostly spent. His plantations attracted the especial notice of travelers, among others of Sir Charles Lyell. He labored, not without success, to improve the cultivation of cotton and rice. The experiment of pressing oil from cotton seed, in which he engaged, he abandoned after a year's trial. He was one of the contractors in the construction of the Brunswick Canal.

Couper was aboard the Pulaski steamer in June 1838 when its boiler exploded. He was one of only 59 to survive the wreck.