Henry E. Cooper
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Henry Ernest Cooper (August 28, 1857 – May 15, 1929) was an
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
lawyer who moved to the
Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the independent island ...
and became prominent in Hawaiian politics in the 1890s. He formally deposed
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of Hawaii in 1893, held various offices in the ensuing Provisional Government of Hawaii and
Republic of Hawaii The Republic of Hawaii ( Hawaiian: ''Lepupalika o Hawaii'') was a short-lived one-party state in Hawaii between July 4, 1894, when the Provisional Government of Hawaii had ended, and August 12, 1898, when it became annexed by the United State ...
governments, and was the first United States Territory of Hawaii
Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
, 1899–1900. He later became a circuit judge in Honolulu.


Early life

Cooper was born August 28, 1857, in
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, to Harriet Augusta Cooper and William Giles Cooper, a lawyer from England. He was educated in public schools in Boston and received the
LLB Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the China, People's Republic ...
degree from the
Boston University School of Law Boston University School of Law (Boston Law or BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top law schools in the United States and considered an eli ...
in 1878. He was admitted to the bar in
Suffolk County, Massachusetts Suffolk County is located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 797,936, making it the fourth-most populous county in Massachusetts. The county comprises the cities of Boston, Chel ...
and practiced law there. Cooper married Mary Ellen Porter October 2, 1883, in San Diego, California. In 1884 he named his estate Bonita Ranch, and the name was applied to the post office of
Bonita, California Bonita (Spanish for "Beautiful") is a census-designated place (CDP) in southern San Diego County, California, nestled between the cities of Chula Vista, National City, and San Diego. The population was 12,538 at the 2010 census. Geography ...
. There the Coopers had five children: Alfred Dykes Cooper (born 6/8/1886), Henry Ernest Cooper Jr. (born July 1887), Wallace McKay Cooper (August 1888 – April 1, 1966), Theodore Augustus Cooper (born October 28, 1889), and Alice Cooper (December 9, 1890 – 1978). He worked as an attorney for the California Southern Railroad, including arguing several cases in the
Supreme Court of California The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacra ...
. Cooper then moved with his family to the
Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...
in 1890. In Hawaii the Coopers had three more children: Ysabel Cooper, and twin Irene, (born February 19, 1894), and Francis Judd Cooper (born April 6, 1895). They settled in the
Mānoa Valley Mānoa (, ) is a valley and a residential neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. The neighborhood is approximately three miles (5 km) east and inland from downtown Honolulu and less than a mile (1600 m) from Ala Moana and Waikiki at . Neighbo ...
near Honolulu where Cooper Road is named for him at .


Politics

In Hawaii, Cooper quickly got involved in Hawaiian politics during a very turbulent decade, with several changes of government. On January 14, 1893, he was chairman of the Citizens' Committee of Safety which organized the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii. On January 16 his name was the first on a letter to
John L. Stevens John Leavitt Stevens (August 1, 1820 – February 8, 1895) was the United States Minister to the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893 when he was accused of conspiring to overthrow Queen Liliuokalani in association with the Committee of Safety, led by ...
, the United States Minister to Hawaii, saying "...the public safety is menaced and lives and property are in peril, and we appeal to you and the United States forces at your command for assistance." On January 17, before a crowd in front of 'Iolani Palace, he read the proclamation deposing
Queen Lili'uokalani Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mothe ...
and establishing the provisional Government of Hawaii, and the next day was made a member of the advisory council to President
Sanford B. Dole Sanford Ballard Dole (April 23, 1844 – June 9, 1926) was a lawyer and jurist from the Hawaiian Islands. He lived through the periods when Hawaii was a Kingdom of Hawaii, kingdom, Provisional Government of Hawaii, protectorate, Republic of Hawa ...
. From March 7, 1893, to November 4, 1895, he was judge of the first circuit court. Beginning on November 6, 1895, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of what was then the
Republic of Hawaii The Republic of Hawaii ( Hawaiian: ''Lepupalika o Hawaii'') was a short-lived one-party state in Hawaii between July 4, 1894, when the Provisional Government of Hawaii had ended, and August 12, 1898, when it became annexed by the United State ...
through March 29, 1899. He acted temporarily in all other posts of Dole's cabinet as the other members traveled to negotiate with the United States on
annexation Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
. These included
Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
from November 6, 1895, to December 12, 1895, and from February 10, 1897, to April 16, 1897; Minister of Finance from May 5, 1896, to August 10, 1897; and Minister of the Interior from March 4, 1898, to July 1, 1898. He was also appointed to the Board of Health on February 12, 1897, later becoming president of the board until 1900. From January 11, 1898, to March 3, 1898, Cooper was the acting president of the republic. From March 20, 1899, to June 14, 1900, he was attorney general of the new Territory of Hawaii. Under the Hawaiian Organic Act, on June 14, 1900, President William McKinley appointed him to be the first secretary of the territory, and also as treasurer of the territory. He was acting governor from March 31, 1902, to June 3, 1902. A few days after resigning the treasurer post December 2, 1902, he became superintendent of public works from December 6, 1902, to November 18, 1903. This prompted some in the press to call him the real power in the territory, accusing him of taking the public works position because he could make more money. A local newspaper said:
Some men are born great, some achieve greatness, but it is only rarely that an ordinary cooper is enabled to thrust such constantly growing greatness upon himself as does this Territorial Cooper of ours.
On January 1, 1903, he sent congratulatory messages over the first
submarine communications cable A submarine communications cable is a cable laid on the sea bed between land-based stations to carry telecommunication signals across stretches of ocean and sea. The first submarine communications cables laid beginning in the 1850s carried tel ...
from San Francisco to Hawaii. Recipients included US President Theodore Roosevelt and
Clarence Mackay Clarence Hungerford Mackay (; April 17, 1874 – November 12, 1938) was an American financier. He was chairman of the board of the Postal Telegraph and Cable Corporation and president of the Mackay Radio and Telegraph Company. Early life He ...
, president of the
Commercial Pacific Cable Company Commercial Pacific Cable Company was founded in 1901, and ceased operations in October 1951. It provided the first direct telegraph route from America to the Philippines, China, and Japan. The company was established as a joint venture of three c ...
. An investigation in 1903 noted that most public works projects had ceased because of lack of funds, but government crews repaved the sidewalks in front of his house. Another scandal involved the new treasurer William H. Wright, who was allowed to escape after he was found to have been pocketing government money with checks endorsed by Cooper. On February 23, 1903, he resigned as territorial secretary, and November 18 as superintendent of public works, after
George R. Carter George Robert Carter (December 28, 1866 – February 11, 1933) was the second Territorial Governor of Hawaii, serving from 1903 to 1907. Early life Carter was born December 28, 1866, in Honolulu. His mother was Sybil Augusta Judd (1843–1906), ...
became governor. Carter expressed suspicion that public land deals were being rushed through, with possible conflict of interest by Cooper. He formed a law firm Kinney, McClanahan & Cooper (with partners
William Ansel Kinney William Ansel Kinney (1860–1930) was a lawyer and politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii, through the Republic of Hawaii and into the Territory of Hawaii. Family William Ansel Kinney was born October 16, 1860, in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father was ...
and E. B. McClanahan), and often worked for owners of large
sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...
plantations in Hawaii. The plantations often leased government land, and concentrated political and economic power in a few of what were called the " Big Five" of Hawaii. At least one of their cases, "Territory of Hawaii vs. Cotton Brothers & Company" of 1904 went to the United States Supreme Court. On March 22, 1910, he was named again to be judge of the first circuit court, and served until March 7, 1914.


Personal life and legacy

Cooper purchased the Palmyra Atoll, located almost 1,000 miles Southwest of Hawaii at , a 2/3 share in 1911 and the rest, excepting small interests of some native Hawaiians, in 1912. In
Hawaii Land Court The Land Court of the State of Hawaii (originally, the Court of Land Registration in the former U.S. Territory of Hawaii) has exclusive jurisdiction in the Hawaii State Judiciary over cases involving registered land titles. The Land Court system ...
, he petitioned for total ownership of Palmyra, but the court preserved some of the Hawaiians' interests, over his objections. He visited the island in July 1913 with scientists
Charles Montague Cooke Jr. Charles Montague Cooke Jr. (December 20, 1874 – October 29, 1948) was an American malacologist who published under the name of C. Montague Cooke or C.M. Cooke. Life Charles Montague Cooke Jr. was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on December 20, 1874. ...
and
Joseph F. Rock Joseph Francis Charles Rock (1884 – 1962) was an Austrian-American botanist, explorer, geographer, linguist, ethnographer and photographer. Life Josef Franz Karl Rock was born in Vienna, Austria, the son of a steward of a Polish count. As a r ...
who wrote a description of the atoll. He sold most of the atoll in 1922 to the Fullard-Leo family, who sold it to the Nature Conservancy in 2000. He retained ownership of the Home Islands at the southwestern tip of the atoll, and they are co-owned today by dozens of his descendants and others. His land title, passed to the Fullard-Leos and his own legatees, was confirmed by the
U. S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
in ''U.S. v. Fullard-Leo'', 331 U.S. 256 (1947) after it was disputed by the U. S. military. The largest island of the group is called Cooper Island, despite a proposed name change to Samarang Island in 2003. The airstrip built in World War II is often called Cooper Airport. In his later years he was active in Freemasonry. In 1894 he joined Hawaiian Lodge No. 21, and organized Pacific Lodge No. 822, A.F. & A.M. under the Grand Lodge of Scotland through the then District Grand Lodge of Queensland, Australia. He served as its first Master in 1895 and again in 1896. Cooper also served as Deputy of the Orient of Hawaii for the Scottish Rite Bodies from 1896 to 1915. In 1897 he commissioned architect Charles William Dickey to build a stone house on his Mānoa land in California Mission Revival Style architecture. On May 1, 1907, he became a founding member and president of the board of regents of the University of Hawaii (then known as Hawaii College), and served until 1914. He selected the site in the Mānoa valley for the main campus, the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He moved to Long Beach, California, to live with a daughter, where he died on May 15, 1929. Son Theodore graduated from
Punahou School Punahou School (known as Oahu College until 1934) is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school in Honolulu, Hawaii. More than 3,700 students attend the school from kindergarten through twelfth grade, 12th grade. Protestant missionar ...
(then called Oahu College) in 1908, and became an Engineer constructing Fort Ruger in Honolulu. After working briefly for
Bank of Hawaii The Bank of Hawaii Corporation ( haw, Panakō o Hawaii; abbreviated BOH) is a regional commercial bank headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii. It is Hawaii's second oldest bank and its largest locally owned bank in that the majority of the voting sto ...
, he enlisted to the United States Army Corps of Engineers and served in France during World War I. Son Alfred D. Cooper was a sugar planter in the Philippines, imprisoned by the Japanese in the Santo Tomas Internment Camp in World War II. Daughter
Alice Cooper Bailey Alice Cooper Bailey (December 9, 1890 – February 1, 1978) was an American writer of children's books and articles for periodicals. She is best known for the books ''Katrina and Jan'' and ''Kimo''. Early life and education Bailey was born on Dec ...
wrote several articles and books including two Dutch folk stories and a popular Hawaiian children's book ''Kimo'' in 1928. It ends with a climactic
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before a kindly
Queen Liliuokalani Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mothe ...
of Hawaii (whom Bailey's father had in fact personally deposed and overthrown). She wrote a biography of Robert Louis Stevenson in 1966. She was part of a ceremony in 1948 marking the 50th anniversary of Hawaii's annexation, and was a benefactor of the ʻIolani Palace in Honolulu where Cooper had worked during the
Republic of Hawaii The Republic of Hawaii ( Hawaiian: ''Lepupalika o Hawaii'') was a short-lived one-party state in Hawaii between July 4, 1894, when the Provisional Government of Hawaii had ended, and August 12, 1898, when it became annexed by the United State ...
period. His grandson Richard Briggs Bailey headed the world's first mutual fund, the Massachusetts Investors Trust fund. Twin daughters Irene and Ysabel married future U.S. Vice Admirals Olaf Mandt Hustvedt and James Pine. Several of Cooper's descendants have had distinguished naval and nautical careers, including Space Shuttle naval astronaut
Rick Hauck Frederick Hamilton "Rick" Hauck (pronounced "Howk"; born April 11, 1941) is a retired captain in the United States Navy, a former fighter pilot and NASA astronaut. He piloted Space Shuttle mission STS-7 and commanded STS-51-A and STS-26. Per ...
and Capt. Erling H. Hustvedt. On August 19, 1922, a grandson Henry Ernest Cooper III was born in
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, to Wallace McKay Cooper. Henry III served in the US Navy in World War II aboard the . In 1987 he sailed with a few friends from Maine through the Pacific Ocean, including a visit, together with another grandson, nautical artist Stephen R. Hustvedt, to their inherited Home Islands at Palmyra Atoll. Henry III died in 1999 and Stephen in 2005.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Henry E. Sr. 1857 births 1929 deaths Boston University School of Law alumni Hawaii lawyers Republic of Hawaii Foreign Ministers Republic of Hawaii Attorneys General Republic of Hawaii Finance Ministers Republic of Hawaii Interior Ministers Hawaii Attorneys General California lawyers Massachusetts lawyers Palmyra Atoll Republic of Hawaii politicians People from Bonita, California People associated with the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom 19th-century American lawyers