| Thomas Valentine Cooper | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Delaware County | |
In office 1870–1871 | |
| Preceded by | Augustus B. Leedom[1] |
| Succeeded by | Tyron Lewis |
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Delaware County | |
In office 1872–1873 | |
| Preceded by | Tyron Lewis |
| Succeeded by | Orson Flagg Bullard |
| Pennsylvania State Senate, 5th district | |
In office 1873–1874 | |
| Preceded by | William B. Waddell |
| Succeeded by | John Edgar Reyburn |
| Pennsylvania State Senate, 9th district | |
In office 1875–1888 | |
| Preceded by | William M. Randall |
| Succeeded by | John Buchanan Robinson |
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Delaware County | |
In office 1901–1909 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Henry Garvin |
| Succeeded by | William D. Jones, Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 16, 1835 Cadiz, Ohio |
| Died | December 19, 1909 Media, Pennsylvania |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Ada F. Cooper |
| Religion | Methodist |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States
|
| Service/branch | Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1864 |
| Rank | 1st lieutenant |
| Commands | 26th Pennsylvania Infantry |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Thomas Valentine Cooper (January 16, 1835 - December 19, 1909), also known as Thomas V. Cooper, was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for Delaware County for the 1870 and 1872 terms. Cooper served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for district 5 from 1873 to 1874 and for district 9 from 1875 to 1889. He was reelected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1901 and served until his death in 1909.[2]
Cooper served as a private and an officer in the Union Army during the Civil War, was a newspaper editor of the Delaware County American newspaper for 54 years and an author of books on political and civil war history.
Early life and education[]
Cooper was born in Cadiz, Ohio to Dr. J.W. and Henrietta (Fields) Cooper.[3]
From 1861 to 1864, Cooper served in the Union Army during the Civil War for three months as first lieutenant in the 4th Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment and for three years as a private in Company C, 26th Pennsylvania Infantry.[4] He served in 13 engagements during the war including Second Bull Run, Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House.[5]
Career[]
In 1855, Cooper founded the Media Advertiser newspaper. In 1856, the name was changed to the Media Advertiser and Delaware County American and again in 1859 to the Delaware County American.[3]
Cooper served as a delegate to the 1860 Republican National Convention in Chicago, Illinois and had a pivotal role in the nomination of Abraham Lincoln.[5]
In 1865, Cooper received an appointment from the Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, as director of government printing. He became the publisher of the Soldier's Journal but turned down a permanent appointment as director of the Bureau of Military Printing.[6]
In 1869, Cooper was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for Delaware County, was defeated in 1871 and reelected in 1872.
In 1873, Cooper was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate and was reelected continuously until 1889. In 1878, he was president of the Senate.
In 1889, Cooper was appointed by President Benjamin Harrison as collector of the Port of Philadelphia.
In 1900, Cooper was elected again to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for Delaware County and served until his death in 1909.[3]
Personal life[]
In 1858, Cooper married Ada F. Turner and together they had six children.[3]
Cooper was a member of the George W. Bartram Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons and of the Bradbury Post, Grand Army of the Republic.[3]
Cooper died in his home in a fire started by his own cigar[5] and is interred at Media Cemetery in Media, Pennsylvania.[7]
Bibliography[]
- American politics (non-partisan) From the Beginning to Date, Fireside Publishing Company, 1892
- Campaign of '84, Baird & Dillon, 1884
- Pennsylvania's Memorial Days, September 11 and 12, 1889: The 26th Pennsylvania Volunteers, Self-published, 1889
References[]
- ↑ Wiley, Samuel T. (1894). Biographical and Historical Cyclopedia of Delaware County Pennsylvania. New York: Gresham Publishing Company. pp. 92-93. https://archive.org/details/biographicalhist00garn_0. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
- ↑ "Pennsylvania House of Representatives - Thomas Valentine Cooper". http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/BiosHistory/MemBio.cfm?ID=2923&body=H. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Jordan, John W. (1914). A History of Delaware County Pennsylvania and Its People. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. pp. 683–685. https://archive.org/stream/historyofdelawar02jord#page/n5/mode/2up. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
- ↑ Smull, John Augustus. Smull's Legislative Hand Book and Manual of the State of Pennsylvania. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Harrisburg Publishing Company. p. 926. https://books.google.com/books?id=RdFWAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA926&dq=thomas+valentine+cooper+pennsylvania&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi8_suw57jcAhUvneAKHQQzB10Q6AEIWjAJ#v=onepage&q=thomas%20valentine%20cooper%20pennsylvania&f=false. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Senator Thomas Valentine Cooper". https://alanehunter.com/tag/senator-thomas-valentine-cooper/. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
- ↑ "Pennsylvania State Senate - Thomas Valentine Cooper". http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/BiosHistory/MemBio.cfm?ID=4469&body=S. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
- ↑ "Thomas Valentine Cooper". https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/4203374. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
The original article can be found at Thomas Valentine Cooper and the edit history here.