Thompson Cooper (8 January 1837,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

– 5 March 1904, London) was an English journalist,

man of letters An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or a ...

, and compiler of reference works. He became a specialist in biographical information, and is noted as the most prolific contributor to the Victorian era ''

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'', for which he wrote 1423 entrieshttp://www.oup.com/oxforddnb/info/dictionary/lslecture1/lslecture2/ (other sources say 1422)

Life

Thompson Cooper was the son of Charles Henry Cooper, a Cambridge solicitor and antiquarian. Educated privately in Cambridge, Cooper was nominally articled to his father, and joined him in his antiquarian pursuits.A. A. Brodribb
‘Cooper, Thompson (1837–1904)’
rev. G. Martin Murphy, ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 11 October 2008 He became a

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

aged 23, and at some point converted to Roman Catholicism. As a young man, he was a parliamentary reporter, and developed an interest in shorthand. His ''Parliamentary Short-Hand'' was published in 1858. Cooper became sub-editor on the ''

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'' in 1861, and the paper's parliamentary reporter in 1862. In 1866 he began a long connection with ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'': he was the paper's parliamentary reporter 1866–1886, its summary-writer for the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

1886–98, and from 1898 its summary-writer for the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

Reference works

With his father Charles Henry Cooper he compiled ''Athenae Cantabrigienses'', a biographical work covering alumni of the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. The ''Register and Magazine of Biography'' (1869) was a short-lived periodical venture for

John Gough Nichols John Gough Nichols (1806–1873) was an English painter and antiquary, the third generation in a family publishing business with strong connection to learned antiquarianism. Life The eldest son of John Bowyer Nichols, he was born at his fathe ...

, covering contemporary biography only, and lasting six months. ''A New Biographical Dictionary'' appeared in 1873, and was subsequently developed under various titles. ''Men of Mark: A Gallery of Contemporary Portraits'' was a series of photographic portraits, accompanied by short biographies from Cooper. It was published from 1876 to 1883. Cooper therefore brought considerable experience to the ''DNB'' when it launched in the 1880s. He played a general editorial role as "compiler of the lists of names to be treated under B and future letters", but his speciality as a contributor was "Roman Catholic divines and writers". He was also a prolific contributor to the ''

Catholic Encyclopaedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...

''. He was buried in

Norwood Cemetery West Norwood Cemetery is a rural cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery. One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the " Magnificent Seven" cemeteries of L ...

Notes

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Thompson 1837 births 1904 deaths English male journalists English biographers English Roman Catholics Converts to Roman Catholicism Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Male biographers