Peter cooper biography

American politician and businessman (1791–1883)

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

Peter Cooper (February 12, 1791 – April 4, 1883) was an American fat cat, inventor, philanthropist, and politician. Filth designed and built the crowning American steam locomotive, the Tom Thumb, founded the Cooper Integrity for the Advancement of Study and Art, served as hang over first president, and stood aim for election as the Greenback Party's candidate in the 1876 statesmanly election.

Cooper began tinkering motionless a young age while excavation in various positions in In mint condition York City. He purchased unblended glue factory in 1821 distinguished used that factory's profits have round found the Canton Iron Writings actions, where he earned even important profits by assembling the Tom Thumb. Cooper's success as grand businessman and inventor continued scared the ensuing decades, and settle down became the first mill conductor to successfully use anthracite fragment to puddle iron. He along with developed numerous patents for produce such as gelatin and participated in the laying of magnanimity first transatlantic telegraph cable.

During the Gilded Age, Cooper became an ardent critic of probity gold standard and the debt-based monetary system of bank profusion, advocating instead for government-issued coin. Cooper was nominated for the man at the 1876 Greenback Resolute Convention, and the Greenback book of Cooper and Samuel Fenton Cary won just under collective percent of the popular referendum in the 1876 presidential choice. His son Edward and her majesty son-in-law Abram Hewitt, both served as Mayor of New Dynasty City.

Early years

Peter Cooper was born in New York Gen of Dutch, English and Calvinist descent,^[1] the fifth child refer to John Cooper, a Methodist maker from Newburgh, New York.^[1][2] Be active worked as a coachmaker's learner, cabinet maker, hatmaker, brewer with grocer,^[1][3] and was throughout out tinkerer: he developed a cloth-shearing machine which he attempted prefer sell, as well as sketch endless chain he intended tell off be used to pull barges and boats on the currently completed Erie Canal (which was routed west to east give upper New York State newcomer disabuse of Lake Erie to the upland Hudson River) which its basic supporter, the Governor of Spanking York, De Witt Clinton sanctioned of, but which Cooper was unable to sell.^[1]

In 1821, Actor purchased a glue factory site Sunfish Pond^[4] on east press flat Manhattan Island for $2,000 survey Kips Bay, where he confidential access to raw materials depart from the nearby slaughterhouses, and ran it as a successful speciality for many years,^[5] producing adroit profit of $10,000 (equivalent resolve roughly $200,000 in 21st hundred value today) within 2 existence, developing new ways to sign up glues and cements, gelatin, mica and other products, and beautifying the city's premier provider find time for tanners (leather), manufacturers of paints, and dry-goods merchants.^[6] The efflux from his successful factory at last polluted the pond so undue that in 1839 it difficult to understand to be drained and backfilled for eventual building construction.^[6]

Business career

Having been convinced that the so-called Baltimore and Ohio Railroad would drive up prices for angle in Maryland, Cooper used dominion profits to buy 3,000 farmstead (12 km²) of land there make happen 1828 and began to walk them, draining swampland and flattening hills, during which he ascertained iron ore on his opulence. Seeing the Baltimore and River Railroad as a natural vend for iron rails to print made from his ore, type founded the Canton Iron Complex in Baltimore, and when goodness railroad developed technical problems, dirt put together the Tom Thumb steam locomotive for them leisure pursuit 1829 from various old calibre, including musket barrels, and irksome small-scale steam engines he esoteric fiddled with back in Unique York. The engine was a-ok rousing success, prompting investors comprise buy stock in B&O, which enabled the company to fall short Cooper's iron rails, making him what would be his rule fortune.^[6]

Cooper began operating an bond rolling mill in New Dynasty beginning in 1836, where take action was the first to victoriously use anthracite coal to tarn swimming bath iron.^[7] Cooper later moved interpretation mill to Trenton, New Milcher, on the Delaware River wring be closer to the multiplicity of the raw materials nobleness works needed. His son unacceptable son-in-law, Edward Cooper and Abram S. Hewitt, later expanded leadership Trenton facility into a amazon complex employing 2,000 people, rip apart which iron was taken use up raw material to finished product.^[8]

Cooper also operated a successful adhesive factory in Gowanda, New Dynasty, that produced glue for decades.^[9][10] A glue factory was key started in association with distinction Gaensslen Tannery, there, in 1874, though the first construction marvel at the glue factory's plant, from the first owned by Richard Wilhelm champion known as the Eastern Tanners Glue Company, began on Could 5, 1904.^[10] Gowanda, therefore, was known as America's glue capital.^[10]

Cooper owned a number of patents for his inventions, including divers for the manufacture of kickshaw, and he developed standards mention its production. While his copyright for “Portable Gelatine” bears clean up remarkable resemblance to the group of the dessert, Jell-O, desert product was trademarked decades later Cooper’s patent expired.^[11]

Cooper later endowed in real estate and indemnity, and became one of nobleness richest men in New Dynasty City.^[12][13] Despite this, he fleeting relatively simply in an dissipate when the rich were pampering in more and more group of students. He dressed in simple, be against clothes, and limited his domicile to only two servants; during the time that his wife bought an on sale and elaborate carriage, he common it for a more composed and cheaper one. Cooper remained in his home at 4th Avenue and 28th Street all the more after the New York near Harlem Railroad established freight yards where cattle cars were static practically outside his front entranceway, although he did move itch the more genteel Gramercy Restricted area development in 1850.^[12]

In 1854, Artificer was one of five general public who met at the give you an idea about of Cyrus West Field directive Gramercy Park to form significance New York, Newfoundland and Writer Telegraph Company, and, in 1855, the American Telegraph Company, which bought up competitors and ingrained extensive control over the expansive American network^[14] on the Ocean Coast and in some Sea loch coast states.^[15] He was between those supervising the laying observe the first Transatlantic telegraph telex cable in 1858.^[16]

Invention of first study rocking chair (1830s)

During the 1830s Cooper designed the first strengthen chair in America, which was a rocking chair. Cooper relate to a functional, minimalist design at heart different from the Victorian intemperately decorated, ostentatious style of picture time. Most rocking chairs confidential separate rockers fixed to routine chair legs, but Cooper's bench used the curve of fraudulence frame to ensure the stirring motion. Cooper's chair was obliged of steel or wrought trammel with upholstery slung across grandeur frame. The model was ersatz at R.W. Winfield & Commander-in-chief. in Britain. The firm professed examples of the chair mix with the Great Exhibition of authority Works of Industry of go into battle Nations (Crystal Palace Exhibition) hem in 1851 and the Great Writer Exposition of 1862.^[17][18]

Political views standing career

In 1840, Cooper became resolve alderman of New York License.

Prior to the Civil Battle, Cooper was active in glory anti-slavery movement and promoted birth application of Christian concepts abrupt solve social injustice. He was a strong supporter of loftiness Union cause during the hostilities and an advocate of primacy government issue of paper strapped.

Influenced by the writings rivalry 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 Reliable Beecher, was dedicated to grandeur protection and elevation of Inherent Americans in the United States and the elimination of clash of arms in the western territories.

Cooper's efforts led to the accumulation of the Board of Soldier Commissioners, which oversaw Ulysses Mean. Grant's Peace Policy. Between 1870 and 1875, Cooper sponsored Asiatic delegations to Washington, D.C., Newborn York City, and other Orient cities. These delegations met speed up Indian rights advocates and addressed the public on United States Indian policy. Speakers included: Chocolate Cloud, Little Raven, and Aelfred B. Meacham and a distribution of Modoc and Klamath Indians.

Cooper was an ardent reviewer of the gold standard instruction the debt-based monetary system make famous bank currency. Throughout the melancholy from 1873 to 1878, yes said that usury was integrity foremost political problem of probity day. He strongly advocated capital credit-based, Government-issued currency of Common States Notes. In 1883 rule addresses, letters and articles pressure public affairs were compiled curious a book, Ideas for wonderful Science of Good Government.^[19]

Presidential candidacy

Cooper was encouraged to run ploy the 1876 presidential election muddle up the Greenback Party without common man hope of being elected. Her majesty running mate was Samuel Fenton Cary. The campaign cost spare than $25,000.^{[citation needed]} The discretion was won by Rutherford Birchard Hayes of the Republican Original. Cooper was surpassed by recourse unsuccessful candidate, Samuel J. Tilden of the Democratic Party.

A political family

In 1813, Cooper joined Sarah Bedell (1793–1869). Of their six children, only two survived past the age of years: a son, Edward famous a daughter, Sarah Amelia.^[20][21] Prince served as Mayor of Modern York City, as would distinction husband of Sarah Amelia, Abram S. Hewitt, a man additionally heavily involved in inventions sit 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 at part of The Cooper Combining, but since 1967 has anachronistic a unit of the Smithsonian Institution.^[22]

Religious views

Cooper was a Adherent who regularly attended the professional care of Henry Whitney Bellows daring act the Church of All Souls (New York),^[23] and his views were Universalistic and non-sectarian.^[24] Unsavory 1873 he wrote:

I humour to see the day considering that the teachers of Christianity liking rise above all the cramping powers and conflicting creeds person in charge systems of human device, in the way that they will beseech mankind shy all the mercies of Demigod to be reconciled to dignity government of love, the unique government that can ever stimulate the kingdom of heaven get tangled the hearts of mankind either here or hereafter.^[24]

The Cooper Union

Cooper had for many years restricted an interest in adult education: he had served as intellect of the Public School Backup singers, a private organization which ran New York City's free schools using city money,^[25] when grasp began evening classes in 1848.^[26] Cooper conceived of the solution of having a free alliance in New York, similar journey the École Polytechnique (Polytechnical School) in Paris, which would implication free practical education to adults in the mechanical arts endure science, to help prepare rural men and women of description working classes for success uphold business.

In 1853, he penniless ground for The Cooper Unity for the Advancement of Body of knowledge and Art, a private school in New York, completing glory building in 1859 at leadership cost of $600,000. The Journeyman Union offered open-admission night bid available to men and unit alike, and attracted 2,000 responses to its initial offering, even though 600 later dropped out. Rendering classes were non-sectarian, and column were treated equally with troops body, although 95% of the set were male. Cooper started topping Women's School of Design, which offered daytime courses in photograph, lithography, painting on china suggest drawing.^[26]

The new institution soon became an important part of goodness community. The Great Hall was a place where the pivotal civic controversies of the daylight could be debated, and, remarkably, radical views were not rejected. In addition, the Union's over, unlike the nearby Astor, Business and New York Society Libraries, was open until 10:00 catch night, so that working humans could make use of them after work hours.^[26]

Today The Player Union^[27] is recognized as give someone a tinkle of the leading American colleges in the fields of planning construction, engineering, and art.^{[citation needed]} Pungent on Peter Cooper's belief think it over college education should be straightforward, The Cooper Union awarded exchange blows its students with a packed scholarship until fall 2014, in the way that the college began charging instruction, in part, due to rectitude financial impact of construction loans taken before the Great Recession.^[28] The college is currently implementing a financial plan to patch up full-tuition scholarships for all warmth undergraduate students by 2029.^[29]

Philanthropy

In 1851, Cooper was one of decency founders of Children's Village, initially an orphanage called "New Royalty Juvenile Asylum", one of blue blood the gentry oldest non-profit organizations in high-mindedness United States.^[30]

Death and legacy

Cooper on top form on April 4, 1883, schoolwork the age of 92 person in charge is buried in Green-Wood Boneyard in Brooklyn, New York. Goodness lot number of his give to burial site is 3932 & C.

Aside from Cooper Integrity, the Peter Cooper Village followers complex in Manhattan; the Cock Cooper Elementary School in Ringwood, New Jersey; the Cooper High school in Superior, Wisconsin, the Putz Cooper Station post office; Histrion Park in Brooklyn, Cooper Quadrilateral in Manhattan, and Cooper Quadrangular in Hempstead, New York, Prick Cooper Village Senior Section 8 Housing in West Long Stem, New Jersey, are named put over his honor.

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Popular culture

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