Thompson Cooper
Encyclopedia
Thompson Cooper was an English journalist, man of letters, and compiler of reference works. He became a specialist in biographical information, and is noted as the most prolific contributor to the Victorian era Dictionary of National Biography
, for which he wrote 1423 entries.
, a Cambridge solicitor and antiquarian. Educated privately in Cambridge, Cooper was nominally articled to his father, and joined him in his antiquarian pursuits. He became a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries aged 23, and at some point converted to Roman Catholicism.
As a young man, he was a parliamentary reporter, and developed an interest in shorthand. His Parliamentary Short-Hand was published in 1858. Cooper became sub-editor on the Daily Telegraph in 1861, and the paper's parliamentary reporter in 1862. In 1866 he began a long connection with The Times
: he was the paper's parliamentary reporter 1866-1886, its summary-writer for the House of Commons 1886-98, and from 1898 its summary-writer for the House of Lords
.
he compiled Athenae Cantabrigienses, a biographical work covering alumni of the University of Cambridge
.
The Register and Magazine of Biography (1869) was a short-lived periodical venture for John Gough Nichols, covering contemporary biography only, and lasting six months. A New Biographical Dictionary appeared in 1873, and was subsequently developed under various titles.
Men of Mark: A Gallery of Contemporary Portraits was a series of photographic portraits, accompanied by short biographies from Cooper. It was published from 1876 to 1883.
Cooper therefore brought considerable experience to the DNB when it launched in the 1880s. He played a general editorial role as "compiler of the lists of names to be treated under B and future letters", but his speciality as a contributor was "Roman Catholic divines and writers". He was also a prolific contributor to the Catholic Encyclopaedia.
He was buried in Norwood Cemetery.
Dictionary of National Biography
The Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...
, for which he wrote 1423 entries.
Life
Thompson Cooper was the son of Charles Henry CooperCharles Henry Cooper
Charles Henry Cooper was an English antiquarian.-Life:Born at Marlow, Buckinghamshire, he was descended from a family formerly of Bray in Berkshire. He was privately educated in Reading. In 1826 he settled in Cambridge, and in 1836 was elected coroner of the borough...
, a Cambridge solicitor and antiquarian. Educated privately in Cambridge, Cooper was nominally articled to his father, and joined him in his antiquarian pursuits. He became a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries aged 23, and at some point converted to Roman Catholicism.
As a young man, he was a parliamentary reporter, and developed an interest in shorthand. His Parliamentary Short-Hand was published in 1858. Cooper became sub-editor on the Daily Telegraph in 1861, and the paper's parliamentary reporter in 1862. In 1866 he began a long connection with The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
: he was the paper's parliamentary reporter 1866-1886, its summary-writer for the House of Commons 1886-98, and from 1898 its summary-writer for the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
.
Reference works
With his father Charles Henry CooperCharles Henry Cooper
Charles Henry Cooper was an English antiquarian.-Life:Born at Marlow, Buckinghamshire, he was descended from a family formerly of Bray in Berkshire. He was privately educated in Reading. In 1826 he settled in Cambridge, and in 1836 was elected coroner of the borough...
he compiled Athenae Cantabrigienses, a biographical work covering alumni of the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
.
The Register and Magazine of Biography (1869) was a short-lived periodical venture for John Gough Nichols, covering contemporary biography only, and lasting six months. A New Biographical Dictionary appeared in 1873, and was subsequently developed under various titles.
Men of Mark: A Gallery of Contemporary Portraits was a series of photographic portraits, accompanied by short biographies from Cooper. It was published from 1876 to 1883.
Cooper therefore brought considerable experience to the DNB when it launched in the 1880s. He played a general editorial role as "compiler of the lists of names to be treated under B and future letters", but his speciality as a contributor was "Roman Catholic divines and writers". He was also a prolific contributor to the Catholic Encyclopaedia.
He was buried in Norwood Cemetery.