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William Cooper (judge)
Encyclopedia
William Cooper was the founder of Cooperstown, New York
and father of writer James Fenimore Cooper
, who apparently used his father as the pattern for the Judge Marmaduke Temple character in his book The Pioneers
.
) just outside Philadelphia, the son of English
Quaker parents, James Cooper (b. Byberry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, 1729-1795) and Hannah (Hibbs) Cooper. He appears to have worked as a wheelwright in and around Byberry
. There is no record of his attending school. On December 12, 1774, in Burlington, New Jersey
, he was married by a civil magistrate to Elizabeth Fenimore, daughter of Richard Fenimore, a Quaker of Rancocas, New Jersey. When Fenimore asked how his daughter was to be supported at William's young age, William answered that he was poor and "she must shift for herself."
During the early 1780s Cooper became a storekeeper in Burlington, New Jersey
, and by the end of the decade he was a successful land speculator and wealthy frontier developer in what is now Otsego County, New York
. Soon after the conclusion of the Revolutionary War
, he acquired a tract of land several thousand acres in extent within the borders of New York state and lying along the head waters of the Susquehanna River
. He founded the Village of Otsego at the foot of Otsego Lake in 1786, and moved his family there, arriving on 10 November 1790. After Cooper's death, the village was renamed Cooperstown
in his honor.
After 1791, when Otsego County was split off from Montgomery County
, Cooper became county judge and later served two terms in Congress, elected as a Federalist
to the 4th
(March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1797) and the 6th United States Congress
es (March 4, 1799 – March 3, 1801).
In 1796, Cooper determined to make his home permanently in the town he had founded, which by that time promised to become a thriving settlement. He began the construction of a mansion, completed in 1799, which he named Otsego Hall
, and which was for many years the manor house
of his own possessions, and by far the most spacious and stately private residence in central New York.
Cooper family tradition has it that Judge Cooper was killed by a blow to the head sustained during an argument with a political opponent after a public meeting in Albany, New York
on December 22, 1809, but no evidence of this can be found. The story can not be traced back to before 1897, when it was first published by a great-grandson of the judge, and is implausible. It is now believed that Judge Cooper died of natural causes.
Cooper was buried at the Episcopal Christ Churchyard in Cooperstown where his son was buried many years later.
Cooper's great-great-grandson was the writer, Paul Fenimore Cooper
, whose most notable novel was the children's adventure, Tal: His Marvelous Adventures with Noom-Zor-Noom. His great-grandson, Paul F. Clark
, was a Nebraska
State Representative.
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
and father of writer James Fenimore Cooper
James Fenimore Cooper
James Fenimore Cooper was a prolific and popular American writer of the early 19th century. He is best remembered as a novelist who wrote numerous sea-stories and the historical novels known as the Leatherstocking Tales, featuring frontiersman Natty Bumppo...
, who apparently used his father as the pattern for the Judge Marmaduke Temple character in his book The Pioneers
The Pioneers
The Pioneers: The Sources of the Susquehanna; a Descriptive Tale is a historical novel, the first published of the Leatherstocking Tales, a series of five novels by American writer James Fenimore Cooper...
.
Life
William Cooper was born in a log house in Smithfield (now Somerton, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaSomerton, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Somerton is located in the Far Northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The neighborhood is generally bound by Red Lion Road to the south, Roosevelt Boulevard to the east, East County Line Road and Poquessing Creek to the north, and the Philadelphia County / Montgomery County...
) just outside Philadelphia, the son of English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
Quaker parents, James Cooper (b. Byberry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Byberry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Byberry is a place name in Northeast Philadelphia that can have several references.Byberry is a neighborhood in the far northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, 1729-1795) and Hannah (Hibbs) Cooper. He appears to have worked as a wheelwright in and around Byberry
Byberry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Byberry is a place name in Northeast Philadelphia that can have several references.Byberry is a neighborhood in the far northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
. There is no record of his attending school. On December 12, 1774, in Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington is a city in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 9,920....
, he was married by a civil magistrate to Elizabeth Fenimore, daughter of Richard Fenimore, a Quaker of Rancocas, New Jersey. When Fenimore asked how his daughter was to be supported at William's young age, William answered that he was poor and "she must shift for herself."
During the early 1780s Cooper became a storekeeper in Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington is a city in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 9,920....
, and by the end of the decade he was a successful land speculator and wealthy frontier developer in what is now Otsego County, New York
Otsego County, New York
Otsego County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. The 2010 population was 62,259. The county seat is Cooperstown. The name Otsego is from a Mohawk word meaning "place of the rock."-History:...
. Soon after the conclusion of the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, he acquired a tract of land several thousand acres in extent within the borders of New York state and lying along the head waters of the Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
. He founded the Village of Otsego at the foot of Otsego Lake in 1786, and moved his family there, arriving on 10 November 1790. After Cooper's death, the village was renamed Cooperstown
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
in his honor.
After 1791, when Otsego County was split off from Montgomery County
Montgomery County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 49,708 people, 20,038 households, and 13,104 families residing in the county. The population density was 123 people per square mile . There were 22,522 housing units at an average density of 56 per square mile...
, Cooper became county judge and later served two terms in Congress, elected as a Federalist
Federalist Party (United States)
The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801...
to the 4th
4th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:- Senate :* President: John Adams * President pro tempore:** Henry Tazewell , first elected December 7, 1795** Samuel Livermore , first elected May 6, 1796** William Bingham , first elected February 16, 1797...
(March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1797) and the 6th United States Congress
6th United States Congress
The Sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1799...
es (March 4, 1799 – March 3, 1801).
In 1796, Cooper determined to make his home permanently in the town he had founded, which by that time promised to become a thriving settlement. He began the construction of a mansion, completed in 1799, which he named Otsego Hall
Otsego Hall
Otsego Hall was a house in Cooperstown, New York, United States which was the ancestral mansion of United States novelist James Fenimore Cooper. It was built by William Cooper, the novelist's father and founder of Cooperstown, where the mansion was located. Construction was started in 1796 and...
, and which was for many years the manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
of his own possessions, and by far the most spacious and stately private residence in central New York.
Cooper family tradition has it that Judge Cooper was killed by a blow to the head sustained during an argument with a political opponent after a public meeting in Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
on December 22, 1809, but no evidence of this can be found. The story can not be traced back to before 1897, when it was first published by a great-grandson of the judge, and is implausible. It is now believed that Judge Cooper died of natural causes.
Cooper was buried at the Episcopal Christ Churchyard in Cooperstown where his son was buried many years later.
Cooper's great-great-grandson was the writer, Paul Fenimore Cooper
Paul Fenimore Cooper
Paul Fenimore Cooper was a traveler and author of children's books and non-fiction. He was educated at Taft School, at Yale and at Trinity College, Cambridge...
, whose most notable novel was the children's adventure, Tal: His Marvelous Adventures with Noom-Zor-Noom. His great-grandson, Paul F. Clark
Paul F. Clark
-Biography:Clark was born Paul Fenimore Clark in Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1861. His distant relatives included William Cooper, James Fenimore Cooper, and Paul Fenimore Cooper. Clark died on June 2, 1932 in San Jose, California.-Career:...
, was a Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
State Representative.