Henry Allen Cooper
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Wisconsin's 1st district
In office
March 4, 1921 – March 1, 1931
Preceded byClifford Ellsworth Randall
Succeeded byClinton Babbitt
In office
March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1919
Preceded byThomas Ryum Amlie
Succeeded byClifford Ellsworth Randall
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 3rd district
In office
January 3, 1887 – January 5, 1891
Preceded byCharles Jonas
Succeeded byAdam Apple
District Attorney of Racine County, Wisconsin
In office
January 1, 1881 – January 1, 1887
Personal details
BornSeptember 8, 1850
Spring Prairie, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedMarch 1, 1931(1931-03-01) (aged 80)
Washington D.C., U.S.
Resting placeMound Cemetery, Racine, Wisconsin
Political partyRepublican
Other political
affiliations		Progressive
SpouseSara Amelia Phillips
Parent
Alma materNorthwestern University
CommitteesInsular Affairs, Rivers and Harbors

Henry Allen Cooper (September 8, 1850 – March 1, 1931) was an American lawyer and progressive Republican politician from Racine County, Wisconsin. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Wisconsin's 1st congressional district for 18 terms, spanning from the 1890s to his death in 1931. He earlier served in the Wisconsin Senate and was district attorney of Racine County.[1]

Early life

Cooper was born in Spring Prairie, Wisconsin, son of former Free Soil Party State Representative Joel H. Cooper, a physician. In 1851 the family moved to Burlington, Wisconsin. Their house was a station of the Underground Railroad, and in 1852 sheltered fugitive slave Joshua Cooper on his way to Canada. Henry Cooper graduated from Burlington High School in June 1869. After school, Cooper attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and graduated in 1873. He then attended Union College of Law, then the legal faculty of Northwestern University and graduated there in 1875.[2] He was then admitted to the bar, practiced in Chicago until 1879 and then commenced practice at Burlington.

Cooper was elected district attorney of Racine County in November 1880 and moved to Racine in January 1881. In 1882 and 1884 he was reelected as district attorney without opposition.

Political career

In 1884, Cooper served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention, a tradition he would continue in 1908 and 1924. He was subsequently elected to the Wisconsin Senate in 1886 and served in the 1887 and 1889 legislative sessions. He represented Wisconsin's 3rd State Senate district, which then comprised just Racine County. During his time in the State Senate, he authored a bill to introduce the secret ballot in Wisconsin. In 1890 Cooper unsuccessfully ran for election to the fifty-second Congress.

In 1892, Cooper was elected to the fifty-third Congress, running on the Republican Party ticket in Wisconsin's 1st congressional district. He assumed on March 4, 1893. During his time as Congressman, Cooper served as the chairman of the Committee of Rivers and Harbors for the fifty-fifth Congress and the Committee on Insular Affairs for the fifty-sixth Congress through to the sixtieth Congress.

He was also the author of the Philippine Organic Act (1902), and read out the poem Mi último adiós by José Rizal as part of successfully persuading his fellow congressmen to vote for the act. Cooper provided key support for the 1910 bill authorizing construction of the Lincoln Memorial.[3]

On April 5, 1917, he was one of 50 representatives who voted against declaring war on Germany. Partly due to his opposition to American involvement in World War I, Cooper failed to gain reelection to his seat in 1918, finishing his term on March 3, 1919. Overall serving from the Fifty-third Congress to the Sixty-fifth Congress.

After missing a term of Congress, Cooper was once again elected to represent Wisconsin's 1st district in the Sixty-seventh Congress in 1920 and to the five succeeding Congresses. He served until his death in Washington, D.C., on March 1, 1931, which came before he could start his new term (in the seventy-second Congress). He was buried in Mound Cemetery, Racine, Wisconsin.

Electoral history

U.S. House of Representatives (1890–1930)

Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1890[4] General Nov. 4 Clinton Babbitt Democratic 14,532 48.13% H. A. Cooper Rep. 14,209 47.06% 30,191 323
Stephen Favill Proh. 1,316 4.36%
1892[5] General Nov. 8 Henry Allen Cooper Republican 20,222 52.26% Clinton Babbitt (inc) Dem. 16,449 42.51% 38,692 3,773
T. C. Murdock Proh. 2,021 5.22%
1894[6] General Nov. 6 Henry Allen Cooper (inc) Republican 21,972 56.70% Andrew Kull Dem. 12,334 31.83% 38,749 9,638
Hamilton Utley Peo. 2,828 7.30%
Alex S. Kaye Proh. 1,615 4.17%
1896[7] General Nov. 3 Henry Allen Cooper (inc) Republican 28,235 64.11% Jeremiah L. Mahoney Dem. 14,723 33.43% 44,042 13,512
George W. White Proh. 1,084 2.46%
1898[8] General Nov. 8 Henry Allen Cooper (inc) Republican 19,887 61.51% Clinton Babbitt Dem. 11,447 35.41% 32,329 8,440
John C. Huffman Proh. 995 3.08%
1900[9] General Nov. 6 Henry Allen Cooper (inc) Republican 28,256 64.09% Gilbert T. Hodges Dem. 14,556 33.01% 44,091 13,700
John R. Beveridge Proh. 1,279 2.90%
1902[10] General Nov. 4 Henry Allen Cooper (inc) Republican 20,437 60.69% Lewis C. Baker Dem. 12,122 36.00% 33,672 8,315
Thomas W. North Proh. 1,111 3.30%
1904[11] General Nov. 8 Henry Allen Cooper (inc) Republican 25,125 59.52% Calvin Stewart Dem. 13,379 31.69% 42,212 11,746
Jacob W. Born S.D. 2,461 5.83%
Henry H. Tubbs Proh. 1,235 2.93%
1906[12] General Nov. 6 Henry Allen Cooper (inc) Republican 16,226 61.11% John J. Cunningham Dem. 8,818 33.21% 26,553 7,408
Moses Hull S.D. 1,504 5.66%
1908[13] General Nov. 3 Henry Allen Cooper (inc) Republican 26,728 60.58% Henry A. Moehlenpah Dem. 14,018 31.77% 44,117 12,710
William A. Jacobs S.D. 1,791 4.06%
J. H. Berkey Proh. 1,576 3.57%
1910[14] General Nov. 8 Henry Allen Cooper (inc) Republican 15,096 57.22% Calvin Stewart Dem. 8,606 32.62% 26,384 6,490
Michael Yabs S.D. 1,860 7.05%
Hans H. Moe Proh. 820 3.11%
1912[15] General Nov. 5 Henry Allen Cooper (inc) Republican 18,914 53.15% Calvin Stewart Dem. 13,816 38.82% 35,586 5,098
Joseph Orth S.D. 1,523 4.28%
Marcus S. Kellogg Proh. 1,333 3.75%
1914[16] General Nov. 3 Henry Allen Cooper (inc) Republican 16,547 58.18% Calvin Stewart Dem. 9,911 34.85% 28,439 6,636
John P. Fennell S.D. 1,077 3.79%
Truman Parker Proh. 902 3.17%
1916[17] General Nov. 7 Henry Allen Cooper (inc) Republican 24,851 61.56% Jay W. Page Dem. 12,587 31.18% 40,367 12,264
William J. Hensche Proh. 1,491 3.69%
Michael Yabs S.D. 1,434 3.55%
1918[18] Primary[19] Sep. 3 Clifford E. Randall Republican 8,295 50.51% Henry Allen Cooper (inc) Rep. 8,113 49.41% 16,421 182
General Nov. 5 Clifford E. Randall Republican 13,177 42.28% Henry Allen Cooper (inc) Ind. 7,718 24.77% 31,164 4,159
Calvin Stewart Dem. 9,018 28.94%
Michael Yabs S.D. 1,242 3.99%
1920[20] Primary[21] Sep. 7 Henry Allen Cooper Republican 15,282 37.63% Clifford E. Randall (inc) Rep. 13,896 34.21% 40,614 1,386
Charles D. Rosa Rep. 7,437 18.31%
F. C. Adams Rep. 3,999 9.85%
General Nov. 2 Henry Allen Cooper Republican 51,144 75.88% Andrew F. Stahl Dem. 13,661 20.27% 67,400 37,483
Samuel S. Walkup Soc. 2,585 3.84%
1922[22] Primary[23] Sep. 5 Henry Allen Cooper (inc) Republican 27,633 68.59% Lawrence C. Whittet Rep. 12,656 31.41% 40,289 14,977
General Nov. 7 Henry Allen Cooper (inc) Republican 37,958 94.44% Niels P. Nielson Soc. 2,179 5.42% 40,191 35,779
1924[24] Primary Sep. 2 Henry Allen Cooper (inc) Republican 36,513 62.68% Charles H. Pfennig Rep. 21,738 37.32% 58,251 14,775
General Nov. 4 Henry Allen Cooper (inc) Republican 60,770 71.97% Calvin Stewart Dem. 23,612 27.97% 84,433 37,158
1926[25] General Nov. 2 Henry Allen Cooper (inc) Republican 50,531 99.95% 50,555 50,507
1928[26] Primary Sep. 4 Henry Allen Cooper (inc) Republican 41,914 82.68% Richard A. Williams Rep. 8,780 17.32% 50,694 33,134
General Nov. 6 Henry Allen Cooper (inc) Republican 83,064 80.17% William C. Kiernan Dem. 20,539 19.82% 103,612 62,525
1930[27] General Nov. 4 Henry Allen Cooper (inc) Republican 46,272 95.65% William C. Kiernan Dem. 2,102 4.35% 48,374 44,170

See also

References

  1. ^ "Cooper, Henry Allen 1850 - 1931". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  2. ^ "COOPER, Henry Allen | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  3. ^ "Washington Letter". The Sandusky Register. February 28, 1931. p. 4. Retrieved May 18, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ "Biographical Sketches". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin 1891 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1891. p. 572. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  5. ^ "Biographical Sketches". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin 1893 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1893. p. 620. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  6. ^ "Biographical Sketches". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin 1895 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1895. p. 658. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  7. ^ "Biographical Sketches". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin 1897 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1897. p. 652. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  8. ^ "Biographical Sketches". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin 1899 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1899. p. 744. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  9. ^ "Biographical Sketches". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin 1901 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1901. p. 722. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  10. ^ "Biographical Sketches". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin 1903 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1903. p. 1073. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  11. ^ "Biographical Sketches". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin 1905 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1905. pp. 1065–1066. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  12. ^ "Biographical Sketches". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin 1907 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1907. p. 1116. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  13. ^ "Biographical Sketches". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin 1909 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1909. p. 1084. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  14. ^ "Biographical Sketches". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin 1911 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1911. p. 728. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  15. ^ "Biographical Sketches". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1913 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1913. p. 630. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  16. ^ "Election Statistics". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1915 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1915. p. 229. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  17. ^ "Election Statistics". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1917 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1917. p. 288. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  18. ^ "Election Statistics". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1919 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1919. p. 154. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  19. ^ "Congressmen, September Primary, 1918, Republican". Wisconsin State Journal. September 20, 1918. p. 13. Retrieved March 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Election Statistics". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1921 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1921. p. 222. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  21. ^ "Congressional District Result". Kenosha News. September 8, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved March 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Election Statistics". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1923 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1923. p. 572. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  23. ^ "Cooper Renominated by Record Majority". Kenosha News. September 6, 1922. p. 1. Retrieved March 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Election Statistics". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1925 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1925. pp. 486, 569. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  25. ^ "Election Statistics". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1927 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1927. pp. 501, 581. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  26. ^ "Election Statistics". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1929 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1929. pp. 741, 822. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  27. ^ "Election Statistics". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1931 (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1931. pp. 560, 563. Retrieved March 23, 2023.

External links

Wisconsin Senate Preceded byCharles Jonas Member of the Wisconsin Senate form the 3rd district January 3, 1887 – January 5, 1891 Succeeded byAdam Apple U.S. House of Representatives Preceded byClinton Babbitt Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 1st congressional district March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1919 Succeeded byClifford Ellsworth Randall Preceded byClifford Ellsworth Randall Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 1st congressional district March 4, 1921 – March 1, 1931 Succeeded byThomas Ryum Amlie
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