Biography of James P. Cooley
James P. Cooley, born on February 26, 1845, in Cecil, Maryland, represents Bon Homme County in the South Dakota State Senate. He is one of eight children of Corbin and Mary Cooley, and the eldest of the four surviving siblings. Cooley moved to South Dakota in 1870, becoming a pioneer of Bon Homme County. He acquired extensive land holdings, totaling over 3,000 acres, and successfully engaged in cattle raising. A dedicated Democrat, he served in the territorial legislature (1872-3) and was elected to the state senate in 1902. Cooley married Mary McCollum in 1872, and they had twelve children, ten of whom survived.