Engineer, manufacturer, and philanthropist, born in New York City, New York, USA. With little formal education, he worked in various trades, laying the basis for his fortune by making glue and isinglass. In 1828 he started an iron works in Baltimore, MD where he built the first steam locomotive in the USA, Tom Thumb. Although it lost a famous race with a horse-drawn train in 1830, he helped advance the spread of railroads. His many business interests, mostly involving iron mining and manufacturing, included the telegraph company that laid the first transatlantic cable. Quick to adopt the latest technology such as the Bessemer process, he himself invented several labour-saving devices including a washing machine. Having greatly prospered, he founded Cooper Union in New York City (1859) to provide free education to adults in art and technical-scientific subjects, which still functions as the Cooper Institute. He was active in civic affairs and in 1876 was the Greenback Party's candidate for president.
| Peter Cooper | |
|---|---|
| Born |
February 12, 1791 New York, New York |
| Died | April 4, 1883 |
Peter Cooper (February 12, 1791–April 4, 1883) was an American industrialist, inventor and philanthropist.
History
Cooper was born in New York City, the son of Dutch descendents.
In 2006, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Industry
In about 1828, he started a successful glue and isinglass factory, before building the Canton Iron Works near Baltimore in 1830.
He then erected a rolling mill and an iron mill in New York City, where he was the first to successfully use anthracite coal to puddle iron.
Politics
In 1840, he became an alderman in New York City. In 1858 he presented the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art to the City of New York.
In 1854, Cooper was one of five men who met at the house of Cyrus West Field and formed the New York, Newfoundland and London Telegraph Company.
Prior to the Civil War, Cooper was active in the anti-slavery movement and promoted the application of Christian concepts to solve social injustice.
Influenced by the writings of Lydia Child, Cooper became involved in the Indian reform movement, organizing the privately funded United States Indian Commission. Between 1870 and 1875, Cooper sponsored Indian delegations to Washington D.C., New York City, and other Eastern cities.
Presidential candidacy
Cooper was encouraged to run in the 1876 presidential election for the Greenback Party without any hope of being elected.
The election was won by Rutherford Birchard Hayes of the Republican Party. Cooper was surpassed by another unsuccessful candidate: Samuel Jones Tilden of the Democratic Party
Death
Peter Cooper died on April 4, 1883.
Trivia
In 1943, a United States Liberty ship named the SS Peter Cooper was launched.
User Comments Add a comment…