Daniel Cooper (convict and merchant)
Daniel Cooper | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1785 |
| Died | 1853-11-03 Brighton, England |
| Occupation(s) | Merchant, financier, shipowner, shipping agent |
| Years active | 1815–1853 |
| Known for | Co-founder of Cooper and Levey; pioneering Australian wool export; Governor of Bank of New South Wales |
Daniel Cooper (1785 – 3 November 1853) was initially a convict sent to New South Wales who later became a prominent merchant, financier, shipowner, and shipping agent.
After his transportation in 1815, Cooper was granted a conditional pardon in 1818 and received an absolute pardon by 1821. He wed fellow convict Hannah Dodd in 1819. His initial business activities encompassed running a general store, an inn, investments in shipping, and establishing a brewery. His wealth increased substantially following a partnership with Hutchinson, Terry, and their company known as Waterloo Co. By 1825, Cooper and Solomon Levey had acquired full ownership, rebranding the enterprise as Cooper and Levey. The company broadened its operations to include importing various merchandise, pioneering the export of Australian wool, and investing in whaling and sealing ventures. Between 1828 and 1847, their fleet completed 14 whaling expeditions across six vessels.
Their ships operated along the coast of New Zealand and other locations such as Tahiti. Both Port Cooper and Port Levy on Banks Peninsula were named in their honor; Port Cooper was subsequently renamed Port Victoria before becoming known as Lyttelton Harbour. The business also secured substantial property holdings, including the estate of Captain John Piper, covering over at Woollahra and Rose Bay.
Around 1823–24, Cooper constructed Cleveland House in Surry Hills.
In 1826, Levey departed Sydney for England to promote the firm's interests but became entangled in the ill-fated Western Australia colonisation scheme with Thomas Peel. Subsequently, Cooper assumed sole management of the company while simultaneously developing his own real estate portfolio independent of the firm. He opposed efforts by the Bank of New South Wales to exclude his company from banking activities and was appointed a Governor of the Bank in 1828. In October 1831, Cooper relocated to England to supervise the firm from abroad, delegating management responsibilities to appointed agents in Sydney. He passed away in Brighton on 3 November 1853. Leaving no children but survived by his third wife Alice, he mentored his nephew Daniel Cooper (later Sir Daniel Cooper, 1st Baronet), who inherited his estate and went on to become speaker of New South Wales’ inaugural parliament.
Flour Business
The initial partnership formed in 1820 between Samuel Terry and Thomas White Melville Winder expanded in 1821 when Daniel Cooper joined for a milling operation located in Kensington. Alongside five other partners—William Hutchinson, Terry, Winder, George Williams, and William Leverton—Cooper participated in managing the mill. It was renamed the Lachlan and Waterloo Flour Mills and conducted business under the name Hutchinson, Terry & Co. By 1825, the other partners divested their shares, leaving Cooper and Solomon Levey as sole proprietors; the firm thereafter became widely recognized as Cooper and Levey.