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Peter Cooper (1791–1883)
Cooper, Peter. A famous American inventor, manufacturer, and philanthropist; born in New York, Feb. 12, 1791; died there, April 4, 1883. A coachmaker by trade, he became a successful inventor and glue manufacturer, and acquired a large fortune. He built, after his own designs, the first locomotive engine constructed on this continent (1830), and was one of the original promoters of the electric telegraph. He was the candidate of the “Greenback” party for President in 1876. He is best known by the institution that was dearest to his own heart, the “Cooper Union” of New York, founded for the instruction of the industrial classes (1854–59). He wrote: ‘Political and Financial Opinions, with an Autobiography’ (1877); ‘Ideas for a Science of Good Government’ (1883).