Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1915-11-20


ON his Eighty-Sixth Birthday
Dubuque, la. Nov. 9th--The subject
this sketch, MT. Austin A. Cooper, is
to-day celebrating his seth biuthday, IL
one of the pioneers of Debuque, in
fact, we might say, OF the West. He
has been associated with the early
| history and growth of the city of
Dubuque and the middle west for ovel
rs years; has seen the passage Of
-four panics I'M the financial history of
this country and withstood the ire
mednous strain, which shook the
soundest institutions to their very
foundation during those neverfo-be
forgotten years of MISREPRESENTATION.
Away back In the 40's, when Du-
buque was but a village, hatless,
coatless and barefooted youth stepped
off boat at the landing place and
sought shelter and employment from
the residents of the old Key City.
He was from the old Cooper farm In
Scott CO., Iowa bringing only soc and
unlimited good health. Being OF me-
chanical turn OF mind, he sought and
was employed by the village black
smith and learned the trade; later
ON purchased the business of his en-
ployer and prospered. Whereas a
boy I'm those early days, A. A. Cooper
piled the forge, today stands one Of
the greatest manufacturing establish
ments in the west, monument to the
brain and Drawn of the son OF
Scott County farmer. The same man
is at the helm today as when way
back i'm the 40's and SOS he shaped
by hand the primitive tools of the
pioneers of Iowa. Still strong and
hearty although full of years, he
stands like watch dog at the head
of this great institution and directs
the ebb and flow of the vast ocean
Of material which comes In, in the
rough, like the great sea tide and
goes to his many customers all finish
ID, bear the name of A. A. Cooper,
which in the vihicle world has AL
ways been a guarantee of quality, a
variant to every purchaser. In the
Cooper works, yearly employment is
given to about six hundred men to
whom is paid a sum yearly aggregat-
ing $350,000,00. The product is
shipped to every civilized country In
he world and the state of Iowa, city
If Dubuque, has been made house
sold word, not only In all Of the
erEitory Of the United States, but i'm
European and Asiatic parts OF the
,lobe. "s,
Naturally OF modest disposition,
dr. Cooper and his sons have always
,een prone to belittle the magnitude
Il their manufacturing industry. Per-
laps. we might say, they have car
led this trait even to intense secret
veness, and during the many years Of
lis business life Mr.. Cooper has
teadfastly pursued a commercial path
With an energy that has swept all
obstruction from his, way. The Cooper
Inc of vehicles has advertised the |
ity of Dubuque all over theworld and
md the "Red End Gate" OF the
cooper Wagon is familiar and well
ONE sight to Dubuque tourists i'm |
lany foreign parts as we'll as any
lace that they may chance to be
4 the territory of the United States.
While Mr.. Cooper still maintains
trict supervision of his affairs the
ctiye management Is now In the
ands of his two sons, A. A. Cooper
+. and William y. Cooper, men of
ell known ability, who have made
felt as a power In BUSH
ess and. financial circles throughout
le country. = ef"'s'
Mr.. Cooper's success as manu-
lcturer of high grade vehicles Is
le more largely to one fact than
u, others, and that is, that he has
ways maintained and kept an Inn
ense stock Of hardwood material
# manufacturing purposes on hand,
wing and seasoning for years before
10 manufactured. This insures ma
rial OF the very best kind, strictly
me dry, not liable to warp, check
shrink and bound to give the
ny best of satisfaction. At the
esent writing, Mr.. Cooper owns
obably the largest stock of hard
oOd wagon material i'm the world