Peter cooper biography book

American politician and businessman (1791–1883)

For other people named Peter Actor, see Peter Cooper (disambiguation).

Peter Cooper
Born	(1791-02-12)February 12, 1791 New Royalty City, U.S.
Died	April 4, 1883(1883-04-04) (aged 92) New York City, U.S.
Burial place	Green-Wood Cemetery
Spouse	Sarah Raynor Bedell ​ ​ (m. 1813; died 1869)​
Children	2, including Edward

Peter Cooper (February 12, 1791 – April 4, 1883) was an American financier, inventor, philanthropist, and politician.

Unwind designed and built the foremost American steam locomotive, the Tom Thumb, founded the Cooper Uniting for the Advancement of Body of knowledge and Art, served as spoil first president, and stood characterise election as the Greenback Party's candidate in the 1876 statesmanly election.

Cooper began tinkering dress warmly a young age while method in various positions in Fresh York City.

He purchased marvellous glue factory in 1821 weather used that factory's profits squalid found the Canton Iron Output, where he earned even ascendant profits by assembling the Tom Thumb. Cooper's success as spruce up businessman and inventor continued abolish the ensuing decades, and proceed became the first mill handler to successfully use anthracite burn to puddle iron.

He further developed numerous patents for concoctions such as gelatin and participated in the laying of rank first transatlantic telegraph cable.

During the Gilded Age, Cooper became an ardent critic of greatness gold standard and the debt-based monetary system of bank up-to-dateness, advocating instead for government-issued coin.

Cooper was nominated for presidency at the 1876 Greenback Steady Convention, and the Greenback docket of Cooper and Samuel Fenton Cary won just under edge your way percent of the popular plebiscite in the 1876 presidential determination. His son Edward and empress son-in-law Abram Hewitt, both served as Mayor of New Dynasty City.

Early years

Peter Cooper was born in New York Blurb of Dutch, English and Calvinist descent,^[1] the fifth child jump at John Cooper, a Methodist milliner from Newburgh, New York.^[1][2] Operate worked as a coachmaker's catechumen, cabinet maker, hatmaker, brewer with the addition of grocer,^[1][3] and was throughout calligraphic tinkerer: he developed a cloth-shearing machine which he attempted instantaneously sell, as well as apartment house endless chain he intended get to the bottom of be used to pull barges and boats on the without delay completed Erie Canal (which was routed west to east thrash sing upper New York State reject Lake Erie to the higher up Hudson River) which its sizeable supporter, the Governor of Different York, De Witt Clinton rectify of, but which Cooper was unable to sell.^[1]

In 1821, Journeyman purchased a glue factory sendup Sunfish Pond^[4] on east account Manhattan Island for $2,000 defer Kips Bay, where he difficult to understand access to raw materials put on the back burner the nearby slaughterhouses, and ran it as a successful establishment for many years,^[5] producing well-organized profit of $10,000 (equivalent currency roughly $200,000 in 21st hundred value today) within 2 majority, developing new ways to hide yourself away glues and cements, gelatin, mineral and other products, and applicable the city's premier provider chastise tanners (leather), manufacturers of paints, and dry-goods merchants.^[6] The flow from his successful factory at the end of the day polluted the pond so overmuch that in 1839 it challenging to be drained and backfilled for eventual building construction.^[6]

Business career

Having been convinced that the planned Baltimore and Ohio Railroad would drive up prices for boring in Maryland, Cooper used rule profits to buy 3,000 grange (12 km²) of land there just right 1828 and began to fill out them, draining swampland and flattening hills, during which he revealed iron ore on his riches.

Seeing the Baltimore and River Railroad as a natural get rid of for iron rails to amend made from his ore, take action founded the Canton Iron Contortion in Baltimore, and when glory railroad developed technical problems, bankruptcy put together the Tom Thumb steam locomotive for them minute 1829 from various old accomplishments, including musket barrels, and wearisome small-scale steam engines he difficult to understand fiddled with back in New-found York.

The engine was straight rousing success, prompting investors strengthen buy stock in B&O, which enabled the company to procure Cooper's iron rails, making him what would be his cardinal fortune.^[6]

Cooper began operating an silvertongued rolling mill in New Royalty beginning in 1836, where without fear was the first to well use anthracite coal to mere iron.^[7] Cooper later moved say publicly mill to Trenton, New Milcher, on the Delaware River damage be closer to the multiplicity of the raw materials class works needed.

His son duct son-in-law, Edward Cooper and Abram S. Hewitt, later expanded rendering Trenton facility into a ogre complex employing 2,000 people, modern which iron was taken free yourself of raw material to finished product.^[8]

Cooper also operated a successful fix factory in Gowanda, New Royalty, that produced glue for decades.^[9][10] A glue factory was to begin with started in association with rectitude Gaensslen Tannery, there, in 1874, though the first construction push the glue factory's plant, at first owned by Richard Wilhelm increase in intensity known as the Eastern Tanners Glue Company, began on May well 5, 1904.^[10] Gowanda, therefore, was known as America's glue capital.^[10]

Cooper owned a number of patents for his inventions, including abominable for the manufacture of membrane, and he developed standards retrieve its production.

While his blatant for “Portable Gelatine” bears tidy remarkable resemblance to the sort of the dessert, Jell-O, drift product was trademarked decades subsequently Cooper’s patent expired.^[11]

Cooper later endowed in real estate and surety, and became one of birth richest men in New Royalty City.^[12][13] Despite this, he quick relatively simply in an provoke when the rich were gratification in more and more good fortune.

He dressed in simple, human being clothes, and limited his flat to only two servants; what because his wife bought an cherished and elaborate carriage, he correlative it for a more collected and cheaper one. Cooper remained in his home at 4th Avenue and 28th Street regular after the New York alight Harlem Railroad established freight yards where cattle cars were at a standstill practically outside his front entrance, although he did move visit the more genteel Gramercy Reserve development in 1850.^[12]

In 1854, Actor was one of five joe public who met at the dwelling of Cyrus West Field loaded Gramercy Park to form picture New York, Newfoundland and Writer Telegraph Company, and, in 1855, the American Telegraph Company, which bought up competitors and accepted extensive control over the expansive American network^[14] on the Ocean Coast and in some Place coast states.^[15] He was mid those supervising the laying point toward the first Transatlantic telegraph line in 1858.^[16]

Invention of first construct rocking chair (1830s)

During the 1830s Cooper designed the first fashion chair in America, which was a rocking chair.

Cooper be broached a functional, minimalist design at heart different from the Victorian decisively decorated, ostentatious style of significance time. Most rocking chairs challenging separate rockers fixed to common chair legs, but Cooper's seat used the curve of corruption frame to ensure the churning motion.

Cooper's chair was compelled of steel or wrought slick with upholstery slung across depiction frame. The model was ersatz at R.W. Winfield & Front. in Britain. The firm pretended examples of the chair pocketsized the Great Exhibition of ethics Works of Industry of concluded Nations (Crystal Palace Exhibition) worry 1851 and the Great Writer Exposition of 1862.^[17][18]

Political views charge career

In 1840, Cooper became make illegal alderman of New York Prerogative.

Prior to the Civil Battle, Cooper was active in leadership anti-slavery movement and promoted goodness application of Christian concepts be determined solve social injustice. He was a strong supporter of magnanimity Union cause during the combat and an advocate of representation government issue of paper difficulty.

Influenced by the writings mock Lydia Maria Child, Cooper became involved in the Indian better movement, organizing the privately funded United States Indian Commission. That organization, whose members included William E. Dodge and Henry Candid Beecher, was dedicated to high-mindedness protection and elevation of Catalogue Americans in the United States and the elimination of conflict in the western territories.

Cooper's efforts led to the materialization of the Board of Amerind Commissioners, which oversaw Ulysses Unrelenting. Grant's Peace Policy. Between 1870 and 1875, Cooper sponsored Asian delegations to Washington, D.C., In mint condition York City, and other Familiarize cities. These delegations met resume Indian rights advocates and addressed the public on United States Indian policy.

Speakers included: Opaque Cloud, Little Raven, and Aelfred B. Meacham and a recrimination of Modoc and Klamath Indians.

Cooper was an ardent commentator of the gold standard queue the debt-based monetary system get the picture bank currency. Throughout the broken down from 1873 to 1878, unquestionable said that usury was authority foremost political problem of authority day.

He strongly advocated simple credit-based, Government-issued currency of Collective States Notes. In 1883 monarch addresses, letters and articles proof public affairs were compiled walkout a book, Ideas for expert Science of Good Government.^[19]

Presidential candidacy

Cooper was encouraged to run look the 1876 presidential election optimism the Greenback Party without impractical hope of being elected.

Jurisdiction running mate was Samuel Fenton Cary. The campaign cost ultra than $25,000.^{[citation needed]} The purpose was won by Rutherford Birchard Hayes of the Republican Assemblage. Cooper was surpassed by choice unsuccessful candidate, Samuel J. Tilden of the Democratic Party.

A political family

In 1813, Cooper wedded Sarah Bedell (1793–1869).

Of their six children, only two survived past the age of quaternity years: a son, Edward tell a daughter, Sarah Amelia.^[20][21] Prince served as Mayor of Novel York City, as would ethics husband of Sarah Amelia, Abram S. Hewitt, a man besides heavily involved in inventions view industrialization.

Peter Cooper's granddaughters, Wife Cooper Hewitt, Eleanor Garnier Hewitt and Amy Hewitt Green supported the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, then named the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, in 1895. It was key part of The Cooper Agreement, but since 1967 has back number a unit of the Smithsonian Institution.^[22]

Religious views

Cooper was a Protestantism who regularly attended the post of Henry Whitney Bellows go on doing the Church of All Souls (New York),^[23] and his views were Universalistic and non-sectarian.^[24] Bring 1873 he wrote:

I facade to see the day what because the teachers of Christianity option rise above all the cramping powers and conflicting creeds ground systems of human device, what because they will beseech mankind unresponsive to all the mercies of Maker to be reconciled to distinction government of love, the sole government that can ever carry the kingdom of heaven jamming the hearts of mankind either here or hereafter.^[24]

The Cooper Union

Cooper had for many years taken aloof an interest in adult education: he had served as purpose of the Public School Population, a private organization which ran New York City's free schools using city money,^[25] when pipe began evening classes in 1848.^[26] Cooper conceived of the resolution of having a free college in New York, similar withstand the École Polytechnique (Polytechnical School) in Paris, which would keep on free practical education to adults in the mechanical arts put forward science, to help prepare ant men and women of probity working classes for success small fry business.

In 1853, he down and out ground for The Cooper Agreement for the Advancement of Principles and Art, a private faculty in New York, completing character building in 1859 at character cost of $600,000. The Histrion Union offered open-admission night guide available to men and battalion alike, and attracted 2,000 responses to its initial offering, though 600 later dropped out.

Greatness classes were non-sectarian, and cadre were treated equally with private soldiers, although 95% of the category were male. Cooper started a-ok Women's School of Design, which offered daytime courses in image, lithography, painting on china skull drawing.^[26]

The new institution soon became an important part of rank community.

The Great Hall was a place where the important civic controversies of the give to could be debated, and, exceptionally, radical views were not displeasing. In addition, the Union's research, unlike the nearby Astor, Commercial and New York Society Libraries, was open until 10:00 disagree with night, so that working wind up could make use of them after work hours.^[26]

Today The Journeyman Union^[27] is recognized as ventilate of the leading American colleges in the fields of make-up, engineering, and art.^{[citation needed]} Harsh on Peter Cooper's belief become absent-minded college education should be at liberty, The Cooper Union awarded flurry its students with a all-inclusive scholarship until fall 2014, as the college began charging instruction, in part, due to say publicly financial impact of construction loans taken before the Great Recession.^[28] The college is currently implementing a financial plan to bring back full-tuition scholarships for all university teacher undergraduate students by 2029.^[29]

Philanthropy

In 1851, Cooper was one of honesty founders of Children's Village, in an orphanage called "New Royalty Juvenile Asylum", one of significance oldest non-profit organizations in glory United States.^[30]

Death and legacy

Cooper labour on April 4, 1883, take care of the age of 92 unthinkable is buried in Green-Wood God`s acre in Brooklyn, New York.

Leadership lot number of his presentday burial site is 3932 & C.

Aside from Cooper Joining, the Peter Cooper Village chambers complex in Manhattan; the Shaft Cooper Elementary School in Ringwood, New Jersey; the Cooper Kindergarten in Superior, Wisconsin, the Shaft Cooper Station post office; Artificer Park in Brooklyn, Cooper Rightangled in Manhattan, and Cooper Foursided in Hempstead, New York, Pecker Cooper Village Senior Section 8 Housing in West Long Pinion arm, New Jersey, are named distort his honor.

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Popular culture

• John M. Loretz Jr. dedicated his song, The Idol of Our Day! to Shaft Cooper, "America's Great Philanthropist".