Mark A. Cooper

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 in 1821, he practiced law in Eatonton, Georgia. He later moved to Columbus, Georgia.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.^[1]

In 1836, Cooper fought in the Second Seminole War 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.^[2]

In 1833, Cooper served in the Georgia House of Representatives. In 1838, he was elected as a Whig Representative from Georgia to the 26th United States Congress 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 to fill the remainder of the term of William Crosby Dawson, who had resigned in 1841 to run for the Governor of Georgia. 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.

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).^[3] 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.^[4]

He died at his home, Glen Holly, near Cartersville, Georgia, on March 17, 1885, where he was buried. He was 84 years old.

• United States Congress. "Mark A. Cooper (id: C000759)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

• United States Congress. "Mark A. Cooper (id: C000759)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Mark Anthony Cooper- The Iron Man of Georgia by Mark Cooper Pope III and J Donald MacKee Graphic Publishing (Atlanta, 2000) ISBN 0-9679640-0-8