CHARLES BRYANT COOPER

Charles Bryant Cooper was born November 19, 1864, at Babylon, New York, the son of the Rev. Charles White and Frances (Duyckynck) Cooper. On his father's side of the family was Peter Cooper, philanthropist and founder of the Cooper Institute, New York, and James Fenimore Cooper, the novelist. His mother's ancestors came to America from Holland in the early part of the 17th century about the same time his father's ancestors came from Buckinghamshire, England.

Charles was educated at Wallkill Academy, Middleton, New York, and Williston Seminary, Easthampton, Massachusetts. His medical degree was received from Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, in 1889.

Dr. Cooper began his practice in Butte, Montana, but when his health failed he came to Honolulu in search of a change of climate. He adopted Honolulu as his home in 1891 and became a prominent figure in the making of Hawaii history.

In 1893 Dr. Cooper became police and prison surgeon for the government of Hawaii and was commissioned regimental surgeon in December of the same year. He participated in the spectacular search for lepers on the island of Kauai in July, 1893. The lepers were resisting removal to the colony on Molokai, and in rounding them up three members of the military party were killed. From 1894 to 1904 Dr. Cooper was attending physician and consulting surgeon at the Queen's Hospital.

Dr. Cooper married Katharine Christie McGrew, the daughter of Dr. John S. McGrew, in Honolulu on March 24, 1897. They had three children: Charles Bryant, Jr., John McGrew, and Frances D., now Mrs. Gerard H. Wood.

Following annexation, Dr. Cooper became a member of the Territorial Board of Health in 1900. As president of the board in 1904, he inaugurated a plan for furthering research for a cure for leprosy. This resulted in an appropriation by Congress of $100,000 for equipment and an annual maintenance fund of $50,000. From 1904 to 1919 Dr. Cooper served as Commissioner of Public Health, was a member of the Board of Medical Examiners and was chairman of the Board of Industrial Schools. During the same period he was chief surgeon for the Oahu Railway and Land company and a member of the Insanity Commission. He represented Hawaii at the first international conference on Tropical Medicine held in Japan September, 1925, at which Dr. Victor G. Heiser was present.

Dr. Cooper had much military experience. He served the provisional government as regimental surgeon and later performed the same duty for the Republic from 1895 to 1898. After annexation he was commissioned surgeon general of the National Guard of Hawaii with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Dr. Cooper served as military aide to Gov. Lucius E. Pinkham, whose term ran from November, 1913, to June, 1918. As there was no gubernatorial mansion and the Governor was a bachelor, he asked Mrs. Cooper to be his hostess and made his home during this period with Dr. and Mrs. Cooper, who were then living at Hackfield Street (now Emerson) and Lunalilo.

In 1912 Dr. Cooper attended the field service school for medical officers at Fort Leavenwoth, Kansas. He resigned in 1917 to accept a commission as captain in the Army, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1918, and was in charge of all the medical examinations for the draftees in World War I. He was honorably discharged from the Army July 31, 1919. In December, 1919, he was commissioned colonel in the Medical Reserve Corps for a period of five years. In 1922 he served under President Harding, while on a year's vacation in Europe, as a "dollar a year man" with the Veterans' Bureau. He was present and represented the Veteran's Bureau in Coblentz, Germany, when the American troops moved out in 1922, turning over the occupied territory to the French. President Harding offered the governorship of Hawaii to Dr. Cooper.

On November 11, 1940, Dr. Cooper died at the family home at Aiea. He was within a few days of his 76th. birthday.

He was a member of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii, a fellow of the American Medical Association, a member and president in 1899 of the Hawaii Territorial Medical Society, a member of the Honolulu County Medical Society, and a member of the Association of Pacific Coast Railroad Surgeons. He was a Shriner, past potentate of Aloha Temple, first exalted ruler of the Honolulu Lodge No. 616 of the Elks (and the first exalted ruler west of the Rockies), member and former president of the Pacific Club, and a member of the University, Rotary, Ad and Oahu Country clubs.

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