Ira Clifton Copley, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Ira Clifton Copley

American publisher, politician, and utility tycoon

Date of Birth: 25-Oct-1864

Place of Birth: Galesburg, Illinois, United States

Date of Death: 01-Nov-1947

Profession: politician, publisher

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Ira Clifton Copley (October 25, 1864 – November 1, 1947) was an American publisher, politician, and utility tycoon.
Born in rural Knox County, Illinois, Copley's family moved to Aurora when Copley was two so that he could be treated for scarlet fever.
After graduating from Yale College and the Union College of Law, Copley assumed management of the Aurora Gas Light Company.
He successfully guided the company into a regional utilities giant, eventually merging his assets into the Western Utility Corporation, which he sold in 1926. Copley purchased his first newspaper in 1905, eventually amassing over two dozen papers as Copley Press.
He was a Republican and was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1911, where he served until 1923.
From 1915 to 1917, he represented his district as a Progressive.
Copley was defeated in a primary in 1922.
He is the namesake of Rush–Copley Medical Center.
His adopted sons James S.
and William went on to notable careers in business and art, respectively.