James Russell McCoy | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1845-09-04)September 4, 1845 |
| Died | February 14, 1924(1924-02-14) (aged 78) |
| Resting place | Pitcairn Islands Cemetery |
| Title | Magistrate of thePitcairn Islands |
| Term | 1870-1872, 1878-1879, 1883, 1886-1889 |
| Spouse | ElizaYoung Coffin-Palmer-McCoy |
James Russell McCoy (4 September 1845 – 14 February 1924) served as Magistrate of theBritish Overseas Territory ofPitcairn Island 7 times, between 1870 and 1904. McCoy was among the first wave of settlers to return to Pitcairn fromNorfolk Island in 1859. He was the son ofMatthew McCoy and Margaret Christian. His sonMatthew Edmond McCoy also served as Magistrate, and was among the last islanders to hold the surname McCoy. Through his daughter Adelia, he is a grandfather ofWarren Clive Christian, andIvan Christian, and a great-grandfather ofSteve Christian andBrenda Christian.
He appears as Magistrate "James Russell Nickoy" inMark Twain's 1879 story "The Great Revolution in Pitcairn." There he is forced to resign his post through the political intrigue of an American interloper,Butterworth Stavely.[1]
Jack London reinvented McCoy as a mythic hero and agent of redemption in the short story "The Seed of McCoy," based on a true incident of piloting a burning ship to safety in 1900.[2]
...the chief magistrate, James Russell Nickoy; a man of character and ability, and possessed of great wealth, he being the owner of a house with a parlor to it, three acres and a half of yam-land, and the only boat in Pitcairn's, a whaleboat
