New York Public School Award Certificate signed by Peter Cooper - March 1846 dated Autograph

Print portrait from an old engraving of Peter Cooper, slight light color tinted, signature reproduced below portrait. Original award certificate dated 1846 with autograph signature by Peter Cooper. Dimensions of Certificate is 7 x 9, Frame Dimensions are 16 x 23.

Peter Cooper (1791–1883), a prolific American inventor and industrialist, played a pivotal role in shaping the infrastructure of 19th-century America. Despite limited formal schooling, he amassed a substantial fortune through diverse ventures, including a highly successful glue factory and the pioneering Trenton Iron Company. This company was instrumental in producing the first structural iron beams for fireproof buildings and skyscrapers. Cooper’s most renowned contribution lies in his design and construction of the Tom Thumb, the first American-built steam locomotive to operate on a common-carrier railroad. This groundbreaking achievement demonstrated the viability of steam power in traversing the challenging terrain of early American tracks.

Cooper’s innovations extended beyond transportation, impacting daily life. He held the first American patent for powdered gelatin, the precursor to Jell-O, and even invented the first steel rocking chair.

Later in life, Cooper dedicated himself to philanthropy and social reform, famously declaring, “The object of life is to do good.” In 1859, he established The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City. This landmark institution provided free education to working-class men and women, regardless of race or religion—a revolutionary concept at the time. Cooper’s civic engagement also extended to politics. As a member of New York’s Board of Aldermen, he advocated for public sanitation and the professionalization of police and fire departments.

In 1876, at the age of 85, Cooper made history as the oldest person to run for President of the United States. He led the Greenback Party ticket, championing financial reforms and a credit-based currency system. Cooper’s legacy endures through The Cooper Union, which continues to be one of the nation’s premier colleges for architecture, art, and engineering.

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