Sir Richard Powell Cooper, 1st Baronet (21 September 1847 – 30 July 1913) was a British industrial entrepreneur. He was a member of the

Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) is the regulatory body for veterinary surgeons in the United Kingdom, established in 1844 by royal charter. It is responsible for monitoring the educational, ethical and clinical standards of the v ...

and inherited the family business, an agricultural chemical manufacturing company. Following his success, he was made a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

for services to industry. Richard Cooper was a nephew of

William Cooper William Cooper may refer to: Business *William Cooper (accountant) (1826–1871), founder of Cooper Brothers * William Cooper (businessman) (1761–1840), Canadian businessman *William Cooper (co-operator) (1822–1868), English co-operator *Willi ...

, an agricultural veterinary surgeon who established the firm of Cooper and Nephews at

Berkhamsted Berkhamsted ( ) is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, in the Bulbourne valley, north-west of London. The town is a civil parish with a town council within the borough of Dacorum which is based in the neighbouring large new town ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

in 1852. The company manufactured chemicals and exported pedigree live stock, and found success when it developed and manufactured the first effective

sheep dip Sheep dip is a liquid formulation of insecticide and fungicide which shepherds and farmers use to protect their sheep from infestation against external parasites such as itch mite (''Psoroptes ovis''), blow-fly, ticks and lice. History Sheep ...

. Cooper's Dip was a highly successful venture and was exported worldwide. Upon the death of William in 1885, Richard inherited the business from his uncle. Richard lived at Shenstone Court,

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

, and was

High Sheriff of Staffordshire This is a list of the sheriffs and high sheriffs of Staffordshire. The sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. The sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities ass ...

in 1901 and Deputy Lieutenant of that county. In 1905 he was created 1st Baronet Cooper of Shenstone Court by

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

. In the 1890s, he invested his wealth in developing the town of

Frinton-on-Sea Frinton-on-Sea is a seaside town and (as just Frinton) a former civil parish, now in the parish of Frinton and Walton, in the Tendring district of Essex, England. In 2018 it had an estimated population of 4,837. In 1931 the parish had a populati ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, as a high-class

seaside resort A seaside resort is a resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, suc ...

. Richard Powell Cooper married Elizabeth Ashmole in 1872. In 1898, their eldest son, Richard Ashmole Cooper, became a partner in the family firm. Following his father's death in 1913, the younger Richard took over the family business. He later merged the company with McDougall and Robertson Ltd, and the new company became Cooper McDougall Robertson Ltd. Richard Powell Cooper was buried in the Cooper family grave in the Cemetery of St Peter's Church on Rectory Lane, Berkhamsted.

References

Cooper Family papers in the Wellcome Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Richard 1847 births 1913 deaths High Sheriffs of Staffordshire Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom English veterinarians English agriculturalists People from Shenstone, Staffordshire

See also

References