The New York herald., 1869-11-14
PETER COOPER.
Long Work Reaching the Golden Road
TO Fortune-Makes Hats, Carriages,
Furniture, Patent Machinery, and
Becomes q Grocer-Goes Into the
Glue Business, Sticks and Makes a
Fortune = The Cooper Insti-
tute-0cean Telegraphing-
His In ventions-Polit;cal
and Personal Life.

Frmness OF resolve and unqnenchable hope were
the sole primary gifts OF Peter Cooper. These were
his capital with which to begin life. These were his
foundations upon which to build hts fortune Among
our selfmade men, among those born 10 wrestle
against worldly adversely, among those who have
shown themselves heroes In the strife, his name
stands In the foremost rank Of honor and reveals
rare and iiustrious record Of noble achievement
over the desp0tic antagonlsms OF seemingly per-
verse destiny. Few have commenced life under
greater disadvantages. Few have more faithfully,
more earnestly, more worthly strven, and few
have been more brilliantly successful In reaching
the goal OF wealth, honor and influence His early
lessons were acquired III tho severe school of ad-
verslty In this school was generated his strength.
For years It was slow, up hill work. Nothing
daunted MIN. He saw what patience would accom-.
pIish and he was patient. He saw the power OF
perseverance, and he was unyielding. He
saw the fnvincibility OF honesty, and he
panoplied himself with the sterling virtues OF
rue and brave spirit. No one need be told the
result He has amassed large wealth. This is not
all He has given his influence the side Of truth
and honesty. He has sought to lessen corruption in
our State Legislature, in our municipal councils and
In every department OF the city government He
bas not stopped here. Feeling the want OF an early
education himselr anu ~, .,.. heart stirred with
deep sympalh by for the thousands OF poor young men
nnd young women in our city like himself debarred
the privileges OF education in their youth, he has
built thu Cooper Union and given II. with all Its
appliances OF an extensive reading room, and
schoolrooms and teachers and lectures, perpetual
gift for their benefit. 1t is an enduring monument
not only to the funess and spontaneity Of his bene
Violence but the wisdom Of his foreth0ught and
prehensiOn OF great ana growing want wholly
ignored by every other public and private
charity OF the clty-a monument like the
statue OF prometheas touched with the heavenly
re shedding the glory OF It's living light through all
the coming centuries He has built his own monu-
ment while living, William b. Astor and Daniel
Drew have since done, and as A. r. Stewart is now
doing.
And names that viii not wither.
To the young men Of our country the career OF
Peter Cooper presents a shining example OF what
can be accomplished by hard labor, answering in.
tegrity ana the inspiration OF lofty benevolence
interpreting Its life mission not TO accumulate and
hoard wealth or debase It's uses IN wild dissipation
or extravagant trv0lltes, but 1t In doing good
and thus exalt 1t into the medium Of and grand
benedcence His life, particularly the carry part Of
1t, was one OF varied employmeuts and his later
yearA have been devoted also TO divers pursuits
making mass OF varied material from which to
make up biographical sketch. TIE chief di1lculty
is compacting IN the space Of q newspaper sketc h
material capable Of elaboration into volume.
HIS EARLY LIFE.
IN what used to be known as Little Dock street,
now portion of Water street. the 18th Of Febru-
ary, 1891, Peter Cooper was born. lie was the fifth
OF nine children, seven sons and two daughters, OF
wnom only one, younger brother, is now living.
UH great-Greatgrandfa ther was the fourth male
child born III Dutchess county, His paternal ancestry
came from England and his maternal ancestry from
scotland. HIS grandfather was deputy quarter
master IN the Revolutionary army When the British
forces captured New YORK he narrowly escaped be-.
OF the PRISON ships through being rescued by tory
friend from the pressgang, who mad taken him cap
tive. His father, who was lieutenant IN the Rev0-
to Governors Island during the night and put up
haroor. 1t will thus be seen that he comes from a
good Revolutionary Stock At the time OF his
house wv Where sre he Was born % After 'o remaining
here three years his father removed his hat
and yarIey street Street.-The present Duane street. Al
This time The City Hall Park was o cabbage garden
attached to the old Bridewell Jail and Poorhouse.
Where the City Hospital now Is was then all open
ground, with u large bailey field adjacent His
mother remembered when In the rear OF what Is now
Duane street there was cheuuuI de Jl'ise as o
protection against Indians Quite plot OF ground
with several small buildings upon II besides the one
occupied by hls father, his granafataer held on q
sixty years. lease. II Is worthy OF mention as an
interesting fact IN this connection that while ms
grandfather was absent with the army MRS Duane,
the owner OF this plot OF ground collected the rents
Being tory, she expected tue land would be combs
Gated, and she orered If he would allow her to
land in Iee which lie agreed to do Before the papers
were made out, however, she died, ana the heirs,
prevented Mr. Cooper's grandfather becom-
remained at s hat store Years ca
rylng on small aud not very prosperous business
Young Peters first essay at labor was in pulling
and thus progressively until he could make hat.
At length, abandoning the hat business, his father
This entailed different kind OF labor Peter; but
ne helped his father what he could, and In fact
Kept hard st1s a. work during TINS entire period lie
never went to school SIX months all together, 80 Oil
the education he got was what he acquired by
studying by himself evenings and during the inter-
walls OF his labor. Meantime his father found his
brew at Peeksk did not pay, 50 he sold out and
about two years and then came to New York to
learn trade.
APPRENrrcED As coAcuMAKER.
A quiet, selfpossessed, robust and earnest youth
OF seventeen was now Potter Cooper. He had no
special production for any avocaton. The world
was all before him. He looked about him. He
passed through street after street. looked into shops
clambered up dark and rickety stairways and In
wanted HIS services. At length ne went into the
carriage shop OF Burtis Woodward located on
the site OF MIR. A. 7. Stewatt's down town store.
DO you want an apprentice boy Y'' be asked Mr..
woodward as he had been asking scores of Others
"HOw Old are your asked MI. Woodward.
seventeen
"Know anything about tho businessSr
emo, Bir.n
"liave you been brought up to work p,
"Yes, sir; learned to make hats OF my fatber.n
's your 1ather willing you should learn this
sradeY',
.He has given me my choice of trades,
"Wii you stay anu work your time out n take
y0ur
= 'sYes, sirr
"wages amt much--your board and ,weniy.i} i've
dollars q year till your tlme IL out.r
SLOW long win the time beln
'sTill you are twenty y-oper
The proposed terms were accepted, and Young
Peter catered upon his period OF apprenticeship
lie worked faithfully his four years. By working
extra hours OF carving he made some extra money!
but not much, and this he spent mainly In books
The carving he worked at was carving blocks, bars
and whiletrees for other coachmakers-a species OF
,aa,.u.. y.