Summary Information
George F. Cooper Papers
1860-1928
- Cooper, George F., 1852-1933
La Crosse Mss N
0.4 cubic feet (1 archives box, including 2 volumes)
UW-La Crosse Murphy Library / La Crosse Area Research Ctr. (Map)
Papers of Cooper, a Black River Falls, Wisconsin, newspaper editor and leading Progressive Republican. Included are a subscription book for the Black River Falls Banner, 1868; a business ledger, 1860-1868; and private correspondence, mainly 1917-1928, between Cooper and various Wisconsin political figures including Robert M. La Follette Jr., Joseph D. Beck, Herman L. Ekern, John J. Esch, Henry F. Mason, and E. Ray Stevens.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-lx000n ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
George F. Cooper was born on July 9, 1852, near Lansing, Michigan, the second son of Frank and Catherine Cooper. Frank Cooper, whose parents were English immigrants, was a printer by trade. He worked for the “Old Oaken Bucket” in Racine, Wisconsin, and for the Wisconsin State Printing Department. In 1857 he settled in Black River Falls, Wisconsin, and in 1888 became the active proprietor of the Black River Falls Banner.
George F. Cooper attended grade and high school at Black River Falls, although he never graduated. For three years he served as an apprentice under his father, finally joining him in partnership in March 1874. In 1888, after his father retired, he took over complete control of the Banner. In the meantime, he had married Mary L. Bowman of Black River Falls; they had no children. Mr. Cooper continued to operate the Banner for almost fifty years until March 4, 1926, when failing health forced him to sell the paper to Merlin Hull, who combined it with the Jackson County Journal to form the Banner-Journal.
Mr. Cooper was one of the pioneer Progressive Republicans in Wisconsin, and the Banner was an influential and vocal organ in La Follette's movement for better government in the state. Mr. Cooper served as treasurer of the Northern Wisconsin Press Association, 1902-1907; as president of the Wisconsin Press Association, 1908-1910; and as secretary of the Black River Falls Relief Committee after the flood of 1913. He died in 1933 following a long illness.
Scope and Content Note
The George F. Cooper Papers, 1860-1928, consist primarily of private correspondence, arranged chronologically, between Mr. Cooper and various political figures in Wisconsin. The appendix lists those individuals for which there is correspondence and the inclusive dates of that correspondence. Also included are several rough drafts of editorials; personal letters between the family and political opinions; and two biographical letters relating to Frederick Reitz (1924) and Louis Nichols (1933).
There are two volumes included in the collection: a subscription book for the Banner, 1868, and a ledger, 1860-1868.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Donor and date of presentation are not known.
Processed by Steven Hensen, February 14, 1967.
Contents List
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La Crosse Mss N
Box
1
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Correspondence, 1886-1928
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|
|
Box
1
Volume
1
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Subscription book, 1868
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|
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Box
1
Volume
2
|
Ledger, 1860-1868
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Appendix: Index of correspondents
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Correspondent
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Dates of Correspondence
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| Beck, Joseph D. |
1918 August 17-1928 January 6 |
| Bennet, J. Henry |
1918 June 12 |
| Dettinger, William F. |
1924 September 24 |
| Ekern, Herman L. |
1923 February 12-July 16 |
| Esch, John J. |
1918 Oct 25-1920 Sept 10 |
| Frear, James A. |
1918 October 25-19 |
| Hull, Merlin |
1917 March 27 |
| Johnson, Henry |
1917 November 9-1917 December 7 |
| La Follette, Robert M., Jr. |
1917 December 6-1928 March 9 |
| Mason, Henry F. |
1886 May 30-1926 April 26 |
| Quaife, Milo M. |
1918 August 29 |
| Stevens, E. Ray |
1924 November 21-1927 January 6 |
| Usher, Ellis B. |
1920 February 16-1920 February 29 |
| West, George A. |
1918 March 26 |
|
