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James Cooper: Editor of Babylon Leader Newspaper
Born in Babylon Oct. 9, 1916 to James B. II and Jean Elizabeth, he was a graduate of Babylon High School and Fordham Law School. After his father's death, who founded the paper in 1910, he ran the newspaper until 1965. The Babylon Town Leader was a consolidation of the Babylon Leader and the Lindenhurst Star. "My father was a passionate newsman," said his daughter, Roberta H. of Rome, Georgia. "He worked at the paper before his father passed away and he took it over because he wanted to continue the good work his dad did." Reading copies of the Leader during the time of his ownership was a revealing look into the area's past. Amid ads for farm animals, local creameries and an amusement park called Playland in Freeport, the paper was the voice of the people, lamenting taxes and backing local candidates.
The news was so local, in fact, that in 1936 one story reported that although little Katie Lux cut her fingers on her father's farm equipment, she would be okay because Doctor Hewlett was attending to her. In that same paper Cooper wrote about, and showed plans for, $85,000 in improvements for Argyle Memorial Park - which is beautiful to this day. During his time in Babylon, Mr. Cooper was also a Justice of the Peace for almost 20 years. He married many a couple in the family home, according to Roberta. In his spare time, he enjoyed boating in his Baltzer Voyager and White Marlin and was a skilled seaplane pilot. In 1965, he retired and moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida and started a new career selling real estate for Realand Realty where he was a member of the Million Dollar Club. In 1982 he relocated to Rome, Georgia to live closer to his children.In addition to his daughter, Mr. Cooper also leaves behind his son: James B. IV of Rome, Georgia. He was predeceased by his wife Mildred F. (nee Tuthill) in 1991.
A private cremation was held by the family. An Episcopal Service and a memorial will be held at a later date.
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