Cooper, Oscar H. (Oscar Henry), 1852-1932

Oscar Henry Cooper (1852-1932), son of Dr. William Henry and Katherine Hunter (Rosser) Cooper, was born in Panola County, Texas. He attended Marshall University, 1865-1866, and at the age of fifteen entered Yale University, receiving his BA degree in 1872 and graduating first of his class.

In the summer of 1871 Cooper received his first teaching position at Woods Post Office near Panola. He served as president of Henderson Male and Female College, 1873-1879, and for the following two years taught at Sam Houston Normal Institute (later Sam Houston State Teachers College). Cooper wrote many articles to stimulate interest in a state university and in 1880 was chairman of a committee of the Texas State Teachers Association, which drew up a proposal urging the establishment of such an institution. He was a tutor at Yale in 1881, studied at the University of Berlin, 1884-1885, and then served as principal of Houston High School, 1885-1886. From 1886 to 1890 Cooper was the state superintendent of public instruction.

While superintendent of Galveston public schools, 1891-1896, Cooper ran the School of Methods for teachers. In 1897 he assisted W. S. Sutton in conducting a similar school in Waco. That same year Cooper became president of Baylor University, serving from 1899 to 1902, when he became president of Simmons College (later Hardin-Simmons University) in Abilene. After resigning in July 1909, he headed Cooper’s Boys School at Abilene until February 1915, when he returned to Simmons College as head of the department of education and philosophy and as chairman of the faculty. In June 1915, the University of Nashville awarded him the LL.D. degree.

A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Cooper was chosen as a fellow of the Texas State Historical Association in 1902. He was also a member of the executive board of the Conference for Education in Texas in 1907, Chairman of the committee to make a survey of the entire school system in 1921, and president of the Association of Texas Colleges in 1923. At the University of Texas he served as a part-time professor of history and philosophy of education, 1928-1929 and the spring of 1930, resigning in June of that year. He was the author of numerous articles and the co-author of History of Our Country (1895).

Cooper married Mary Bryan Stewart, granddaughter of Dr. James H. Starr, in 1886, and they had four children. He died in Abilene in 1932.

From the guide to the Cooper, Oscar Henry Papers 1936., 1880-1932, 1940, (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin)

Oscar Henry Cooper, who was often referred to as O. H. Cooper by his contemporaries, was born in Panola County, Texas, to Dr. William Henry and Katherine Rosser Cooper on 1852 November 22. His long academic record shows him to be a brilliant scholar as well as a noted public educator in the United States and Germany. After studying for two years at Marshall University, Cooper transferred and completed his undergraduate work at Yale University where he graduated as the valedictorian of the class of 1872. His prolific work in the educational field included teaching positions at Henderson Male and Female College (1873-1879), Sam Houston Normal Institute (2 years), and a return to Yale University. He received his graduate education while attending the University of Berlin from 1884 to 1885. Upon returning to the United States, Cooper pursued teaching positions at the secondary level, working as the principal of Houston High School, the Texas State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the superintendent of Galveston-area schools (1890-1896). Amidst all these career pursuits, on 1886 November 24, Cooper married Mary Brian Stewart. They had four children.

Cooper's success as an educator and his devotion to his Baptist roots led to his appointment as the President of Baylor University from 1899 to 1902. With Cooper as President, Baylor gained national acclaim. Most of the school's degrees were recognized for the first time by the more established eastern universities, the Department of Pedagogy was officially created, and the Department of Theology was expanded. The school also received substantial grants and scholarships during this period including $75,000 each from F.L. Carroll and his son George to build a chapel, library, and science building. These were the largest donations in Texas school history at the time. In 1914, Baylor University awarded Cooper an honorary doctoral degree.

The story of Cooper's resignation from Baylor University is odd for such a distinguished teacher and leader. According to Baylor University's website, a couple of students snuck a dog into chapel service one day. When the dog started barking, Cooper became enraged and threw the dog out a window from the third floor. Students protested the act, and Cooper resigned on 1902 March 31.

He then went on to Simmons College from 1902 to 1909, enjoying similar successes. From 1909 to 1915, Cooper established a school for boys in Abilene. His last position before retirement was at the University of Texas at Austin. Cooper had been instrumental in the establishment of the University of Texas in Austin during the 1880s, and later served as a professor of history and the philosophy of education there. Cooper died in Abilene, Texas, on 1932 August 22.

From the description of B.U. Records : O.H. Cooper papers, 1899-1902. (Baylor University Libraries). WorldCat record id: 777200753