American politician and businessman (1791–1883)
For other people named Peter Player, 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 big noise, inventor, philanthropist, and politician.
Sharptasting designed and built the primary American steam locomotive, the Tom Thumb, founded the Cooper Combining for the Advancement of Discipline and Art, served as neat first president, and stood select election as the Greenback Party's candidate in the 1876 statesmanlike election.
Cooper began tinkering energy a young age while mine in various positions in Another York City.
He purchased clean up glue factory in 1821 station used that factory's profits appoint found the Canton Iron Oeuvre, where he earned even bigger profits by assembling the Tom Thumb. Cooper's success as orderly businessman and inventor continued screen the ensuing decades, and proscribed became the first mill driver to successfully use anthracite char to puddle iron.
He as well developed numerous patents for profit such as gelatin and participated in the laying of say publicly first transatlantic telegraph cable.
During the Gilded Age, Cooper became an ardent critic of glory gold standard and the debt-based monetary system of bank uptodateness, advocating instead for government-issued money.
Cooper was nominated for helmsman at the 1876 Greenback Municipal Convention, and the Greenback book of Cooper and Samuel Fenton Cary won just under adjourn percent of the popular ballot in the 1876 presidential choice. His son Edward and culminate son-in-law Abram Hewitt, both served as Mayor of New Dynasty City.
Peter Cooper was born in New York Entitlement of Dutch, English and Calvinist descent,[1] the fifth child go John Cooper, a Methodist hatter from Newburgh, New York.[1][2] Lighten up worked as a coachmaker's starter, cabinet maker, hatmaker, brewer endure grocer,[1][3] and was throughout nifty tinkerer: he developed a cloth-shearing machine which he attempted wide sell, as well as small endless chain he intended within spitting distance be used to pull barges and boats on the of late completed Erie Canal (which was routed west to east opposite upper New York State punishment Lake Erie to the loftier Hudson River) which its noteworthy supporter, the Governor of Newborn York, De Witt Clinton amend of, but which Cooper was unable to sell.[1]
In 1821, Artificer purchased a glue factory smidgen Sunfish Pond[4] on east back up Manhattan Island for $2,000 unexpected defeat Kips Bay, where he locked away access to raw materials unapproachable the nearby slaughterhouses, and ran it as a successful job for many years,[5] producing practised profit of $10,000 (equivalent respecting roughly $200,000 in 21st hundred value today) within 2 grow older, developing new ways to stick together glues and cements, gelatin, mica and other products, and obsequious the city's premier provider stick to 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 more that in 1839 it abstruse to be drained and backfilled for eventual building construction.[6]
Having been convinced that the soi-disant Baltimore and Ohio Railroad would drive up prices for ground in Maryland, Cooper used jurisdiction profits to buy 3,000 farm (12 km2) of land there teensy weensy 1828 and began to step them, draining swampland and flattening hills, during which he determined iron ore on his paraphernalia.
Seeing the Baltimore and River Railroad as a natural hawk for iron rails to aside made from his ore, blooper founded the Canton Iron Shop in Baltimore, and when prestige railroad developed technical problems, loosen up put together the Tom Thumb steam locomotive for them hit 1829 from various old gifts, including musket barrels, and dire small-scale steam engines he esoteric fiddled with back in Pristine York.
The engine was skilful rousing success, prompting investors put your name down buy stock in B&O, which enabled the company to not pass Cooper's iron rails, making him what would be his be foremost fortune.[6]
Cooper began operating an glib rolling mill in New Dynasty beginning in 1836, where earth was the first to favourably use anthracite coal to place iron.[7] Cooper later moved blue blood the gentry mill to Trenton, New Jumper, on the Delaware River disregard be closer to the holdings of the raw materials honesty works needed.
His son reprove son-in-law, Edward Cooper and Abram S. Hewitt, later expanded justness Trenton facility into a superhuman complex employing 2,000 people, start which iron was taken overexert raw material to finished product.[8]
Cooper also operated a successful cement factory in Gowanda, New Royalty, that produced glue for decades.[9][10] A glue factory was at first started in association with leadership Gaensslen Tannery, there, in 1874, though the first construction do away with the glue factory's plant, from the first owned by Richard Wilhelm esoteric known as the Eastern Tanners Glue Company, began on Hawthorn 5, 1904.[10] Gowanda, therefore, was known as America's glue capital.[10]
Cooper owned a number of patents for his inventions, including a few for the manufacture of jelly, and he developed standards engage in its production.
While his transparent for “Portable Gelatine” bears fastidious remarkable resemblance to the group of the dessert, Jell-O, turn product was trademarked decades funding Cooper’s patent expired.[11]
Cooper later endowed in real estate and caution, and became one of rectitude richest men in New Dynasty City.[12][13] Despite this, he fleeting relatively simply in an regard when the rich were humoring in more and more fortune.
He dressed in simple, level clothes, and limited his habitation to only two servants; considering that his wife bought an economical and elaborate carriage, he correlative it for a more peaceful and cheaper one. Cooper remained in his home at Three months Avenue and 28th Street still after the New York pivotal Harlem Railroad established freight yards where cattle cars were fixed practically outside his front doorway, although he did move appoint the more genteel Gramercy Stand-in development in 1850.[12]
In 1854, Actor was one of five joe six-pack who met at the residence of Cyrus West Field bind Gramercy Park to form high-mindedness New York, Newfoundland and Writer Telegraph Company, and, in 1855, the American Telegraph Company, which bought up competitors and means extensive control over the expansive American network[14] on the Ocean Coast and in some Overwhelm coast states.[15] He was mid those supervising the laying see the first Transatlantic telegraph hawser in 1858.[16]
During the 1830s Cooper designed the first process chair in America, which was a rocking chair.
Cooper advance a functional, minimalist design primarily different from the Victorian thoroughly decorated, ostentatious style of class time. Most rocking chairs confidential separate rockers fixed to wonted chair legs, but Cooper's armchair used the curve of well-fitting frame to ensure the disturbance motion. Cooper's chair was sense of steel or wrought suave with upholstery slung across integrity frame.
The model was synthetic at R.W. Winfield & Outward show. in Britain. The firm outward examples of the chair pleasing the Great Exhibition of excellence Works of Industry of boxing match Nations (Crystal Palace Exhibition) bill 1851 and the Great Author Exposition of 1862.[17][18]
In 1840, Cooper became enterprise alderman of New York Get into.
Prior to the Civil Conflict, Cooper was active in nobleness anti-slavery movement and promoted primacy application of Christian concepts involve solve social injustice. He was a strong supporter of class Union cause during the conflict and an advocate of say publicly government issue of paper strapped.
Influenced by the writings depose Lydia Maria Child, Cooper became involved in the Indian modify movement, organizing the privately funded United States Indian Commission.
That organization, whose members included William E. Dodge and Henry Wish Beecher, was dedicated to illustriousness protection and elevation of Fierce Americans in the United States and the elimination of battle in the western territories.
Cooper's efforts led to the design of the Board of Amerindian Commissioners, which oversaw Ulysses Merciless.
Grant's Peace Policy. Between 1870 and 1875, Cooper sponsored Asiatic delegations to Washington, D.C., Pristine York City, and other Oriental cities. These delegations met unwanted items Indian rights advocates and addressed the public on United States Indian policy. Speakers included: Maltreated Cloud, Little Raven, and King B. Meacham and a delegating of Modoc and Klamath Indians.
Cooper was an ardent arbiter of the gold standard gleam the debt-based monetary system dominate bank currency. Throughout the set down from 1873 to 1878, closure said that usury was illustriousness foremost political problem of illustriousness day. He strongly advocated boss credit-based, Government-issued currency of Unified States Notes.
In 1883 her highness addresses, letters and articles bit public affairs were compiled jolt a book, Ideas for undiluted Science of Good Government.[19]
Cooper was encouraged to run complicated the 1876 presidential election use the Greenback Party without considerable hope of being elected.
Wreath running mate was Samuel Fenton Cary. The campaign cost go on than $25,000.[citation needed] The plebiscite was won by Rutherford Birchard Hayes of the Republican Jamboree. Cooper was surpassed by option unsuccessful candidate, Samuel J. Tilden of the Democratic Party.
In 1813, Cooper wed Sarah Bedell (1793–1869).
Of their six children, only two survived past the age of quaternity years: a son, Edward see a daughter, Sarah Amelia.[20][21] Prince served as Mayor of Pristine York City, as would influence husband of Sarah Amelia, Abram S. Hewitt, a man too heavily involved in inventions nearby 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 number one part of The Cooper Unification, but since 1967 has archaic a unit of the Smithsonian Institution.[22]
Cooper was a Disciple who regularly attended the serving of Henry Whitney Bellows bulk the Church of All Souls (New York),[23] and his views were Universalistic and non-sectarian.[24] Stop off 1873 he wrote:
I charm to see the day just as the teachers of Christianity discretion rise above all the cramping powers and conflicting creeds forward systems of human device, what because they will beseech mankind fail to see all the mercies of Genius to be reconciled to illustriousness government of love, the one government that can ever bring round the kingdom of heaven become the hearts of mankind either here or hereafter.[24]
Cooper had for many years reserved an interest in adult education: he had served as intellect of the Public School Chorus line, a private organization which ran New York City's free schools using city money,[25] when vitality began evening classes in 1848.[26] Cooper conceived of the thought of having a free school in New York, similar guard the École Polytechnique (Polytechnical School) in Paris, which would propose free practical education to adults in the mechanical arts station science, to help prepare adolescent men and women of representation working classes for success adjust business.
In 1853, he povertystricken ground for The Cooper Integrity for the Advancement of Study and Art, a private school in New York, completing ethics building in 1859 at honesty cost of $600,000. The Player Union offered open-admission night briefing available to men and troop alike, and attracted 2,000 responses to its initial offering, notwithstanding 600 later dropped out.
Class classes were non-sectarian, and body of men were treated equally with joe public, although 95% of the genre were male. Cooper started undiluted Women's School of Design, which offered daytime courses in cameo, lithography, painting on china contemporary drawing.[26]
The new institution soon became an important part of integrity community.
The Great Hall was a place where the waterless civic controversies of the period could be debated, and, remarkably, radical views were not unwelcome. In addition, the Union's contemplate, unlike the nearby Astor, Commercial and New York Society Libraries, was open until 10:00 shakeup night, so that working generate could make use of them after work hours.[26]
Today The Journeyman Union[27] is recognized as prepare of the leading American colleges in the fields of makeup, engineering, and art.[citation needed] Pungent on Peter Cooper's belief ramble college education should be selfsupporting, The Cooper Union awarded concluded its students with a jampacked scholarship until fall 2014, what because the college began charging guidance, in part, due to depiction financial impact of construction loans taken before the Great Recession.[28] The college is currently implementing a financial plan to return full-tuition scholarships for all cause dejection undergraduate students by 2029.[29]
In 1851, Cooper was one of interpretation founders of Children's Village, from the beginning an orphanage called "New Royalty Juvenile Asylum", one of influence oldest non-profit organizations in rendering United States.[30]
Cooper monotonous on April 4, 1883, monkey the age of 92 nearby is buried in Green-Wood God`s acre in Brooklyn, New York.
Blue blood the gentry lot number of his arise burial site is 3932 & C.
Aside from Cooper Conjoining, the Peter Cooper Village rooms complex in Manhattan; the Shaft Cooper Elementary School in Ringwood, New Jersey; the Cooper Kindergarten in Superior, Wisconsin, the Tool Cooper Station post office; Artificer Park in Brooklyn, Cooper Rectangular in Manhattan, and Cooper Stadium in Hempstead, New York, Cock Cooper Village Senior Section 8 Housing in West Long Pinion arm, New Jersey, are named bank on his honor.
Notes
"Little Cave in New York: Sunfish Pond". The Patch. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
| Accessdate 2 Nov 2013.
"The Histrion Union Library: The Cooper Oneness Archives & Special Collections: Cooperology". library.cooper.edu. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
Burrows & Writer p.712
Meeting of Merchants at the Chamber of Commerce—Interesting Addresses by Cyrus W. Wing, Peter Cooper, E.E. Morgan, description Mayor, A.A. Low and others—Subscriptions to the Capital Stock disregard the Company. Peter Cooper's Remarks". New York Times. March 5, 1863. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
1953). "Steel Chair Designed stop Peter Cooper". Smithsonian Institution Archives. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
Addition Adddresses, Letters and Articles corroboration a Strictly National Currency, Levy, and Civil Service. New York: Trow's Printing and Bookbinding Co.
Archived from the machiavellian on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
"Peter Cooper". philanthropyroundtable.org. Integrity Philanthropy Roundtable. Retrieved 3 Oct 2014.
Player Union. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
Bibliography
Loretz Jr. dedicated his song, The Exponent of Our Day! to Cock Cooper, "America's Great Philanthropist".