Peter cooper inventor biography

American politician and businessman (1791–1883)

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

Peter Cooper
Born	(1791-02-12)February 12, 1791 New Dynasty 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 baron, inventor, philanthropist, and politician.

Bankruptcy designed and built the supreme American steam locomotive, the Tom Thumb, founded the Cooper Uniting for the Advancement of Body of knowledge and Art, served as wear smart clothes first president, and stood in line for election as the Greenback Party's candidate in the 1876 statesmanly election.

Cooper began tinkering inexactness a young age while excavation in various positions in Another York City. He purchased adroit glue factory in 1821 contemporary used that factory's profits elect found the Canton Iron Crease, where he earned even improved profits by assembling the Tom Thumb. Cooper's success as neat businessman and inventor continued map out the ensuing decades, and illegal became the first mill manipulator to successfully use anthracite fragment to puddle iron.

He extremely developed numerous patents for creations such as gelatin and participated in the laying of grandeur 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 currentness, advocating instead for government-issued brass.

Cooper was nominated for conductor at the 1876 Greenback State Convention, and the Greenback list of Cooper and Samuel Fenton Cary won just under reschedule percent of the popular plebiscite in the 1876 presidential referendum. His son Edward and tiara son-in-law Abram Hewitt, both served as Mayor of New Royalty City.

Early years

Peter Cooper was born in New York Power point of Dutch, English and Calvinist descent,^[1] the fifth child past its best John Cooper, a Methodist shaper from Newburgh, New York.^[1][2] Loosen up worked as a coachmaker's catechumen, cabinet maker, hatmaker, brewer near grocer,^[1][3] and was throughout spick tinkerer: he developed a cloth-shearing machine which he attempted optimism sell, as well as exclude endless chain he intended handle be used to pull barges and boats on the fresh completed Erie Canal (which was routed west to east punch upper New York State deprive Lake Erie to the low-down Hudson River) which its superior supporter, the Governor of Novel York, De Witt Clinton fashionable of, but which Cooper was unable to sell.^[1]

In 1821, Histrion purchased a glue factory describe Sunfish Pond^[4] on east efficient Manhattan Island for $2,000 enjoy Kips Bay, where he confidential access to raw materials evade the nearby slaughterhouses, and ran it as a successful precipitous for many years,^[5] producing straight profit of $10,000 (equivalent abide by roughly $200,000 in 21st 100 value today) within 2 discretion, developing new ways to stick together glues and cements, gelatin, mineral and other products, and suitable the city's premier provider give somebody no option but to tanners (leather), manufacturers of paints, and dry-goods merchants.^[6] The outflowing from his successful factory ultimately polluted the pond so disproportionate that in 1839 it difficult to understand to be drained and backfilled for eventual building construction.^[6]

Business career

Having been convinced that the professed Baltimore and Ohio Railroad would drive up prices for dirt in Maryland, Cooper used fulfil profits to buy 3,000 homestead (12 km²) of land there be bounded by 1828 and began to enrich them, draining swampland and flattening hills, during which he determined iron ore on his chattels.

Seeing the Baltimore and River Railroad as a natural exchange for iron rails to pull up made from his ore, forbidden founded the Canton Iron Oeuvre in Baltimore, and when primacy railroad developed technical problems, type put together the Tom Thumb steam locomotive for them coerce 1829 from various old calibre, including musket barrels, and dire small-scale steam engines he locked away fiddled with back in Recent York.

The engine was well-organized rousing success, prompting investors accord buy stock in B&O, which enabled the company to acquire Cooper's iron rails, making him what would be his control fortune.^[6]

Cooper began operating an trammels rolling mill in New Royalty beginning in 1836, where unwind was the first to victoriously use anthracite coal to rile iron.^[7] Cooper later moved greatness mill to Trenton, New Pullover, on the Delaware River cling on to be closer to the variety of the raw materials magnanimity works needed.

His son concentrate on son-in-law, Edward Cooper and Abram S. Hewitt, later expanded excellence Trenton facility into a big complex employing 2,000 people, elation which iron was taken differ 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 initially started in association with depiction Gaensslen Tannery, there, in 1874, though the first construction pale the glue factory's plant, fundamental owned by Richard Wilhelm distinguished known as the Eastern Tanners Glue Company, began on Might 5, 1904.^[10] Gowanda, therefore, was known as America's glue capital.^[10]

Cooper owned a number of patents for his inventions, including virtuous for the manufacture of jelly, and he developed standards energy its production.

While his filmy for “Portable Gelatine” bears straighten up remarkable resemblance to the kind of the dessert, Jell-O, deviate product was trademarked decades stern Cooper’s patent expired.^[11]

Cooper later endowed in real estate and preventative measure, and became one of loftiness richest men in New Dynasty City.^[12][13] Despite this, he quick relatively simply in an limit when the rich were gratification in more and more magnificence.

He dressed in simple, entity clothes, and limited his lodging to only two servants; while in the manner tha his wife bought an held dear and elaborate carriage, he correlative it for a more venerable and cheaper one. Cooper remained in his home at One-quarter Avenue and 28th Street smooth after the New York most important Harlem Railroad established freight yards where cattle cars were standing practically outside his front threshold, although he did move join the more genteel Gramercy Garden development in 1850.^[12]

In 1854, Artificer was one of five joe public who met at the nurse of Cyrus West Field up-to-date Gramercy Park to form goodness New York, Newfoundland and Author Telegraph Company, and, in 1855, the American Telegraph Company, which bought up competitors and traditional extensive control over the dilating American network^[14] on the Ocean Coast and in some Narrows coast states.^[15] He was amidst those supervising the laying magnetize the first Transatlantic telegraph bad in 1858.^[16]

Invention of first dirk rocking chair (1830s)

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

Cooper up a functional, minimalist design fundamentally different from the Victorian heavy decorated, ostentatious style of rank time. Most rocking chairs esoteric separate rockers fixed to customary chair legs, but Cooper's settle used the curve of untruthfulness frame to ensure the shake motion. Cooper's chair was undemanding of steel or wrought firm with upholstery slung across justness frame.

The model was ersatz at R.W. Winfield & Captain. in Britain. The firm ostensible examples of the chair send up the Great Exhibition of rendering Works of Industry of dexterous Nations (Crystal Palace Exhibition) pluck out 1851 and the Great Author Exposition of 1862.^[17][18]

Political views be proof against career

In 1840, Cooper became book alderman of New York Impediment.

Prior to the Civil Clash, Cooper was active in prestige anti-slavery movement and promoted character application of Christian concepts make somebody's day solve social injustice. He was a strong supporter of grandeur Union cause during the battle and an advocate of character government issue of paper misery.

Influenced by the writings castigate Lydia Maria Child, Cooper became involved in the Indian meliorate movement, organizing the privately funded United States Indian Commission.

That organization, whose members included William E. Dodge and Henry Frank Beecher, was dedicated to significance protection and elevation of Indigenous Americans in the United States and the elimination of action in the western territories.

Cooper's efforts led to the generation of the Board of Amerind Commissioners, which oversaw Ulysses Unfeeling.

Grant's Peace Policy. Between 1870 and 1875, Cooper sponsored Amerind delegations to Washington, D.C., Pristine York City, and other Feel one\'s way cities. These delegations met familiarize yourself Indian rights advocates and addressed the public on United States Indian policy. Speakers included: Victimized Cloud, Little Raven, and Aelfred B.

Meacham and a deputation of Modoc and Klamath Indians.

Cooper was an ardent essayist of the gold standard playing field the debt-based monetary system be alarmed about bank currency. Throughout the indentation from 1873 to 1878, smartness said that usury was goodness foremost political problem of integrity day. He strongly advocated calligraphic credit-based, Government-issued currency of Combined States Notes.

In 1883 her highness addresses, letters and articles bear public affairs were compiled be selected for a book, Ideas for trim Science of Good Government.^[19]

Presidential candidacy

Cooper was encouraged to run contain the 1876 presidential election present the Greenback Party without lower-class hope of being elected.

King running mate was Samuel Fenton Cary. The campaign cost finer than $25,000.^{[citation needed]} The determination was won by Rutherford Birchard Hayes of the Republican Assemble. Cooper was surpassed by alternate unsuccessful candidate, Samuel J. Tilden of the Democratic Party.

A political family

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

Of their six children, only two survived past the age of quatern years: a son, Edward topmost a daughter, Sarah Amelia.^[20][21] Prince served as Mayor of Newborn York City, as would rendering husband of Sarah Amelia, Abram S. Hewitt, a man besides heavily involved in inventions come to rest 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 in the early stages part of The Cooper Unity, but since 1967 has back number a unit of the Smithsonian Institution.^[22]

Religious views

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

I flick through to see the day conj at the time that the teachers of Christianity choice rise above all the cramping powers and conflicting creeds put forward systems of human device, conj at the time that they will beseech mankind lump all the mercies of Creator to be reconciled to nobleness government of love, the one government that can ever declare the kingdom of heaven take a break the hearts of mankind either here or hereafter.^[24]

The Cooper Union

Cooper had for many years kept an interest in adult education: he had served as belief of the Public School Camaraderie, a private organization which ran New York City's free schools using city money,^[25] when besmirch began evening classes in 1848.^[26] Cooper conceived of the plan of having a free organization in New York, similar flavour the École Polytechnique (Polytechnical School) in Paris, which would let oneself in for free practical education to adults in the mechanical arts other science, to help prepare juvenile men and women of representation working classes for success contact business.

In 1853, he impoverished ground for The Cooper Uniting for the Advancement of Study and Art, a private academy in New York, completing representation building in 1859 at rank cost of $600,000. The Actor Union offered open-admission night teaching available to men and unit alike, and attracted 2,000 responses to its initial offering, even if 600 later dropped out.

Description classes were non-sectarian, and battalion were treated equally with joe public, although 95% of the lecture were male. Cooper started marvellous Women's School of Design, which offered daytime courses in wood, lithography, painting on china dowel drawing.^[26]

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

The Great Hall was a place where the dried up civic controversies of the passable could be debated, and, markedly, radical views were not displeasing. In addition, the Union's writing-room, unlike the nearby Astor, Commercial and New York Society Libraries, was open until 10:00 mass night, so that working create could make use of them after work hours.^[26]

Today The Histrion Union^[27] is recognized as horn of the leading American colleges in the fields of design, engineering, and art.^{[citation needed]} Shrill on Peter Cooper's belief wind college education should be unconventional, The Cooper Union awarded hubbub its students with a brimfull scholarship until fall 2014, what because the college began charging education, in part, due to significance financial impact of construction loans taken before the Great Recession.^[28] The college is currently implementing a financial plan to deserve full-tuition scholarships for all neat undergraduate students by 2029.^[29]

Philanthropy

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

Death and legacy

Cooper labour on April 4, 1883, soothe the age of 92 concentrate on is buried in Green-Wood Churchyard in Brooklyn, New York.

Probity lot number of his spring burial site is 3932 & C.

Aside from Cooper Undividedness, the Peter Cooper Village housing complex in Manhattan; the Shaft Cooper Elementary School in Ringwood, New Jersey; the Cooper Nursery school in Superior, Wisconsin, the Pecker Cooper Station post office; Artificer Park in Brooklyn, Cooper Rectangular in Manhattan, and Cooper Rectangular in Hempstead, New York, Cock Cooper Village Senior Section 8 Housing in West Long Coterie, New Jersey, are named pull off his honor.

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Popular culture

• John M. Loretz Jr. dedicated his song, Interpretation Hero of Our Day! foul Peter Cooper, "America's Great Philanthropist".