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Mark Anthony Cooper (April 20, 1800 – March 17, 1885) was a
United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
, businessman and lawyer from
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
. His cousin was U.S. Representative
Eugenius Aristides Nisbet Eugenius Aristides Nisbet (December 7, 1803 – March 18, 1871) was an American politician, jurist, and lawyer. Biography Nisbet was born near Union Point, Georgia. He attended the Powellton Academy in Hancock County, Georgia from 1815 to 1817, ...
.


Early Life and Family

Cooper was born near Powellton, Georgia, in Hancock County in 1800 and graduated from South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina) in Columbia in 1819. After studying law and gaining admittance to the state
bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...
in 1821, he practiced law in
Eatonton, Georgia Eatonton is a city in and county seat of Putnam County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 6,307. It was named after William Eaton, an officer and diplomat involved in the First Barbary War. The name con ...
. He later moved to
Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...
.Cooper was first married to Evaline Flournoy, sometime around 1821, but she died only 3 months into their marriage. He then remarried in 1826 to Sophronia Randle. The two had eleven children, seven who survived infancy.


Military & Political Careers

In 1836, Cooper fought in the
Second Seminole War The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans and ...
and commanded a battalion of Georgia Volunteers. He rose to the rank of Major. During the war, Cooper distinguished himself and reiterated his belief in states' rights by refusing to turn over 3,000 pounds of bacon to federal authorities because it was sent to feed Georgia militia men. Fort Cooper, a military fortification built during the war, was commanded by and named in honor of Cooper. In 1833, Cooper served in the
Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. T ...
. In 1838, he was elected as a Whig Representative from Georgia to the
26th United States Congress The 26th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1839 ...
and served one term in that seat from March 4, 1839, until March 3, 1841, as he lost his bid for reelection in 1840. He returned to the U.S. Congress in 1842 after winning election as a
Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...
to fill the remainder of the term of
William Crosby Dawson William Crosby Dawson (January 4, 1798May 5, 1856) was a lawyer, judge, politician, and soldier from Georgia. Early life, education and legal career Dawson was born in Greensboro, Greene County, Georgia, January 4, 1798. His parents were Geo ...
, who had resigned in 1841 to run for the
Governor of Georgia The governor of Georgia is the head of government of Georgia and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor also has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to either veto or approve bills passed by the Georgia Legisl ...
. Cooper was reelected to that congressional seat in the general election in 1842; however, he resigned in 1843 to run an unsuccessful candidacy for Governor. Cooper's second stint in Congress lasted from January 3, 1842, to June 26, 1843.


Iron Man of Georgia

During his time as an attorney, Cooper was a lender essentially functioning as the local bank in Eatonton. He then invested in a bank in Columbus, Georgia and after a few years, sold out for $300,000 which he used to build his Iron works nearby Etowah, Georgia. This ironworks is remembered today by many names: Cooper's Furnace, Cooper's Ironworks, and Etowah Ironworks. After his political service, Cooper became president of the Etowah Manufacturing and Mining Company in Etowah, Georgia, in 1859. The iron works included large facilities for making nails and another plant for making pots and pans out of iron. But the most famous plant was one for making cannon during the Civil War. These cannon were highly regarded for their higher quality (not exploding as others did). Cooper sold his iron works to another company in 1862 for $400,000 in Confederate currency. The iron works were soon taken over by the Confederacy. Most of the town of Etowah was destroyed during Sherman's March on Atlanta; however, the iron furnaces themselves were left standing. Cooper's investments in Confederate notes and bonds became worthless with the defeat of the Confederacy. Shortly after the war, in 1866, the Cartersville-Van Wert railroad was chartered by the Georgia State Assembly. Cooper was appointed its first president. He died at his home, Glen Holly, near
Cartersville, Georgia Cartersville is a city in Bartow County, Georgia, United States; it is located within the northwest edge of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 23,187. Cartersville is the county seat of Bartow Coun ...
, on March 17, 1885, where he was buried. He was 84 years old.


References

*Mark Anthony Cooper- The Iron Man of Georgia by Mark Cooper Pope III and J Donald MacKee Graphic Publishing (Atlanta, 2000) {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Mark Anthony 1800 births 1885 deaths People from Hancock County, Georgia Georgia (U.S. state) Whigs Members of the Georgia House of Representatives Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers University of South Carolina alumni American people of the Seminole Wars Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Bartow County, Georgia People from Eatonton, Georgia People from Columbus, Georgia American slave owners 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers