The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-26
EX,MAY0R COOPER DEAD AT 81
HADA STROKE OFAPOPLEXYL LAST
SUNDAY MORNING EARLI
After Returning From The Union Club. or
which He was President-Oniy Son
Left by Peter COoper-President OF
Cooper Union and Its nenefa ctor.


OF Peter Cooper who lived to manhood.
died yesterday afternoon at his home.
II Washington Square North, of apoplexy.
Mr.. Cooper was stricken early last Sun
day morning ut his home He had spent
the evening before at the Union Club OF
which he was the president. and got
home about 1890 A. NJ. A half hour later
came the attack
Dr. +. l.. Partridge was summoned
quickly and did ali that could be done to
make Mr.. Cooper comfortable. Mr.. Cooper
seemed to improve for two days, but on
Wednesday there was turn for the worse.
DIR. Edward G. Janewny was called in then.
Mr.. Cooper got no better. and on Friday
it was plain that there was little chance of
prolongng his life He was Unconscious for
sixteen hours before the end. His sister.
Mrs. Sarah Amelia Hewitt. widow OF Abram
$. Hewitt, was with him when he died. So
were Mr.. Coopers daughter Edith, Mrs.
Lloyd s. Bryce; her husband Gen. Bryce, and
two Of their children. Clare and Cornelia,
Mr.. Cooper was in his eighty-frst year.
For the last few years he had not been
active in business, although he was still
n member of the firm of Cooper, Hewitt
4 Co. Until the last year he had seldom
missed day at the firms Office in Burling
slip. Mr. Cooper married in 1893 Miss Cor
nelia Redmond. who was a daughter OF
James NJ. Redmond OF Trenton. and who
died several years ago. Mrs. Bryce is his
only child. and Mrs. Hewitt Is the only
child of Peter Cooper now living
Edward Cooper was born in this city
on Oct. 90 1924 He went to the public
schools and was in Columbia in the class
of is45, but was in delicate health and did
not graduate. His father engaged Mr..
Hewitt. who had graduated in 1872, TO take
him abroad as tutor On the return trip
they were shipwrecked and drifted in an
open boat for twelve hours one December
day before they were picked up. On their
re turn Peter Cooper took them both into
his glove business and into the iron bust
ness in the firm of Cooper. Hewitt 4 Co.,
which built up the Trenton Iron Works,
where there has never been a strike.
Edward Cooper inherited from his father
a taste for public service. He was strong
Democrat, and he got actively into harness
when. in 1857, Dan lei r. Tiemann ran for
Mayor against Fernando Wood. Tiemann
was elected. He found the Street Cleaning
Department badly disorganized. and APP
pointed Mr.. Cooper Commissioner with
instructions 10 straighten il out. MIR.
Cooper had everything running smoothly
within six months. when he handed in bis
resignation. He held no other Office until
he was els0t u Mayor in 1878. He was
delegate to the Charleston Convention OF 1850.
He left Tammany with many others
when the Tweed frauds came TO light, and
he was an active member OF the Committee
of Seventy. When Tilden began the reor-
ganization of Tammany Mr.. Cooper and
Mr.. Hewitt were two Of his lieutenants.
When Tammany was cleaned out to their
satisfaction MIR. Cooper reentered the
fold. For a time he was leader of the Six
tenth district.
He did not remain in Tammany long,
however John Kelly and majority Of
the Tammany leaders were against Tilden
when he was nominated for President
at St Louis in 1870 Mr. Cooper was
delegate he fought tooth and nail for
Tilden. and after the nomina ion he led
the regular Democratic organization in
the hot campaign. This brought about
a split in Tammany with John Kelly at the
head Of one division and Mr.. Cooper at the
head Of the other. and after the election
Mr.. Cooper left the organization to Kelly,
taking with him the conservative section
Of the organization. From that grew the
Irving Hall Democracy.
This wing OF the party fused with the
Republicans and the City Democracy
against Tammany, and nominated Mr..
Cooper for Mayor. He had rather an easy
victory His majority over Augustus
Schell was about 10000 votes-a big lead
in those days. As Mayor he for one thing
removed the Democratic Police Commits
soners, one Of them Sidney Nichols. the
Tammany man on the board, John Kelly
fought him and fought Governor Lucius
Robinson, who stood by the Mayor and the
result was the Kelly bolt Of 1870 and the
election OF Cornell as Governor.
Before Mr.. Cooper left Office he had COM
bined with Mr.. Hewitt the late William c.
Whitney and William r. Grace in the for
nation OF the County Democracy. which
elected Mr. Grace Mayor in the fall OF 1880.
In 1882, when Cleveland was nominated for
Governor, Mr.. Cooper was mentioned as
candidate before the convention, but would
not allow his name to be used. He became
chairman of the State executive committee,
however, and managed the campaign IN
which Cleveland won by 900 votes. he
worked for Cleveland again in 1884, as treas
urer OF the Democratic national committee.
The campaign Of 1883, in which he was
active again, was his last important work in
politics. but he was with the sound money
men in 1905. He was a member Of the Tilden
commission on municipal ownership, and
stood out against the proposition reported
by the majority of that body, providing
that a board representing taxpayers
only should direct the finances and ex-
penditures Of every municipality. Mr.
Cooper took under the terms Of his
fathers will life interest in half the re-
siduary estate. with the power to dispose
thereof by will He was president Of Cooper
Union, his fathers gifts to which he had
largely increased; was president Of the Tren-
ton Iron Company. and besides the Union
Club was a member OF the Metropolitan,
University and Knickerbocker clubs and OF
the Century Association. The governors Of
the Union Club will meet this afternoon TO
act on his death.
The funeral will be at Grace Church at 10
o'clock Tuesday morning
10 BODIES WASHED ASHORE.
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