Edward Cooper (mayor)
| Edward Cooper | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Mayor of New York City | |
|
In office 1879–1880 |
|
| Preceded by | Smith Ely, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | William Russell Grace |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 26, 1824 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | February 25, 1905 (aged 80) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Resting place | Green-Wood Cemetery |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | Cornelia Redmond (m. 1854; her death 1894) |
| Children | Edith Cooper Bryce |
| Parents |
Peter Cooper Sarah Raynor Bedell |
| Education | Columbia University |
Edward Cooper (October 26, 1824 – February 25, 1905) was the 83rd Mayor of New York City from 1879 to 1880. He was the only surviving son of industrialist Peter Cooper.
Cooper was born in New York City on October 26, 1824. He was the son of Peter Cooper (1791–1883) and Sarah Raynor (née Bedell) Cooper (1793–1869). His sister Amelia Cooper (1830–1912) was married to Abram Stevens Hewitt (1822–1903), who also served as mayor of New York from 1887 to 1888.
He was the grandson of John O. Cooper (1755–1838), a hatmaker who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and Margaret Campbell (1762–1841).
He attended the New York public schools and Columbia University, afterwards entering the iron business with the aid of his father.
In partnership with Abram S. Hewitt, Cooper operated an iron works in Trenton, New Jersey. Edward Cooper also became a metallurgist and inventor, developing several improvements to iron making and metalworking. He declined to patent his inventions, believing that they could better serve the public if he made them widely available. After Peter Cooper's death in 1883, Edward Cooper succeeded to the presidency of the Cooper Union.
Active in politics as a Democrat, Cooper was a delegate to The 1860 Democratic National Convention in Charleston, South Carolina, and the 1876 Democratic National Convention in St. Louis. With Hewitt, Samuel J. Tilden and others, Cooper was recognized as a leader of the Swallowtails, named for the Swallowtail coat. The Swallowtails were prominent Democratic businessmen and professionals who opposed the Tammany Hall Democratic organization and attempted to introduce government reforms and end corruption. Cooper served as a member of the Committee of Seventy, which investigated and prosecuted Tammany Hall corruption. In 1875, Tilden was Governor of New York, and named Cooper to a commission which proposed anti-corruption reforms for inclusion in the New York Constitution.
...
Wikipedia