Peter Cooper and His Story Life

Born in 1791, Cooper was the son of a Methodist hatmaker by the name of John Cooper. Learning artisanal skills from his father, he worked as a cabinet maker, hatmaker, all the while working at his local grocery store and brewery. These labor-intensive jobs inspired him to create more efficient methods of attaining the final product. It is with these small jobs that he began to transform into an inventor. Inspired by the work his mother toiled over every day, he sought to lighten her load by inventing a machine that washed clothes. Hoping to aid in his family’s survival he also explored different ways to capture birds, create bricks and brew beer. By the time 1808 rolled around, Cooper had gained an apprenticeship under a New York coachmaker. As Cooper had received no formal education between working multiple jobs and creating machines to aid his family’s home life, this was a big opportunity for Cooper. Even though he was offered a loan that he would need to create a business in coachmaking, he chose to take a job in Long Island with something that was more of his domain.

In his new job, he would be working as a manufacturer of machines that cut cloth. He even said that “the first money I received for the sale of my machines was from Mr. Matthew Vassar, of Poughkeepsie, who afterward founded that noble institution for female education called Vassar College.” (“Peter Cooper”). From here on out his connection to New York would only grow. Along with his work, he did his part to give back to the city. In 1854, Cooper became the founding president of the New York, Newfoundland, and London Telegraph Company. In addition he oversaw the project in which the first transatlantic Telegraph cable was laid in 1866. Wanting to also contribute to the social aspect of the city, He became a founding board member of the New York Gallery of Fine Arts and the New York Citizens Association (Britannica).

Reflecting on his lack of formal education, in 1855 he worked closely with Minister Henry Whitney Bellows of the United States Sanitary Commission. While in this position to impact and empower the surrounding people, he began to promote New York educational reform. In addition, he communicated with the assistant alderman for New York City Council to improve the city's water supply in Westchester County New York. It would turn out that later the Common Council would merge with the education board, which worked out perfectly for Peter Cooper’s political agenda (“Peter Cooper”).

At the age of 92, Cooper died on April 4, 1883. Since then, his contributions to the city that never sleeps have stood the test of time. The most concrete reminder of his impact is The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, a school he established in 1859. Boasting a tradition of free tuition for those bright enough to be accepted, it has recently been in the news for its change in its tuition policy. (“History”) Aside from Cooper Union, he has many other structures that bear his name: the Peter Cooper Village apartment complex in Manhattan; the Peter Cooper Elementary School in Ringwood, New Jersey; the Peter Cooper Station post office; Cooper Park in Brooklyn, and Cooper Square in Manhattan (Burrows and Wallace).

Cooper was truly a New Yorker and an American Patriot. His life concluded not far from where it had begun, by the ports in lower Manhattan. His working space contained portraits of Washington and Lincoln, yet also had one of Lafayette to serve as a reminder of the vastness that remained outside of the city border, and the world beyond the nation that created him. He stated in a speech in 1853, “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” and “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.” (“History”).