Daniel Cooper (1785 – 3 November 1853) was a

convict A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison". Convicts are often also known as "prisoners" or "inmates" or by the slang term "con", while a common label for former convicts ...

transported to

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

who became a successful merchant, financier, shipowner and shipping agent. Transported in 1815, he received a conditional pardon in 1818 and an absolute pardon in 1821. He married in 1819, to convict Hannah Dodd. His first business interests were a general store, an adjoining inn, a small investment in shipping, and a brewery. His fortune developed when he became a partner in the firm of Hutchinson,

Terry Terry is a unisex diminutive nickname for the given names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence (given name), Terence, Terrance (masculine). People Male * Terry A. Canales, American politician * Terry A. Doughty (born 1959), American district ...

and Co., (also known as the Waterloo Co.) and in 1825 he and

Solomon Levey Solomon Levey ( 1794 10 October 1833) was a convict transported to Australia in 1815 for theft who became a highly successful merchant and financier, at one time issuing his own banknotes in New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbrevi ...

became the sole owners of the firm, which became generally known as Cooper and Levey. The firm continued to have spectacular success, expanding into importing a full range of goods, pioneering the export of Australian wool, and investing in whaling and sealing expeditions. Six vessels owned by the partners made 14 whaling voyages between 1828 and 1847. The firm's ships visited many parts of the coast of New Zealand, and other places such as Tahiti. Port Cooper and Port Levy on Banks Peninsula were named for them but the former was renamed Port Victoria by the surveyors of the

Canterbury Association The Canterbury Association was formed in 1848 in England by Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), members of parliament, Peerage of the United Kingdom, peers, and Anglicanism, Anglican church leaders, to establish a colony in New Zealand. The se ...

, though it subsequently became known as Lyttelton Harbour, after its port town, Lyttelton. Among other properties, the firm acquired the estate of Captain John Piper, which included more than at

Woollahra Woollahra ( ) is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is located east of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, local go ...

and Rose Bay.J. W. Davidson, 'Cooper, Daniel (1785–1853)'
Australian Dictionary of Biography online edition He built Cleveland House in

Surry Hills Surry Hills is an Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), inner-east suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Surry Hills is immediately south-east of the Sydney central business district in the Local government in Australia, local gover ...

in about 1823–24. In 1826 Levey left

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

for England to further the firm's business interests. While he was there, he became involved with Thomas Peel in the colonisation of Western Australia, which was a financial disaster for him, and did not return. Cooper continued to manage the firm. Cooper also built up a personal fortune in real estate, independent of his interest in the firm. He countered the efforts of the

Bank of New South Wales The Bank of New South Wales (BNSW), also known as The Wales, was the first bank in Australia. It was established in 1817 in Sydney. During the 19th century, the bank opened branches throughout Australia and New Zealand, expanding into Oceania ...

to force his firm out of the banking business, and was elected a Governor of the Bank in 1828. In October 1831 Cooper sailed for England. He undertook a general supervision of the firm from England, and appointed managers in Sydney. He died at

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

, England, on 3 November 1853. His third wife Alice survived him. He had no children but had taken great interest in the education and business training of a nephew who bore his own name (later Sir Daniel Cooper, baronet) and this nephew was his major heir. His nephew became the speaker for the first parliament of New South Wales.

Flour Business

The original partnership from 1820 with

Samuel Terry Samuel Terry (c. 1776 – 22 February 1838) was an English man who was penal transportation, transported to Australia as a criminal, where he became a wealthy landowner, merchant and philanthropist. His extreme wealth made him by far the ric ...

, Thomas White Melville Winder was expanded on in 1821. Danial Cooper was included in a partnership for a mill in

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

in 1821. Danial Cooper was one of the six partners along with; William Hutchinson,

, Thomas White Melville Winder, George Williams and William Leverton.Mitchell, Cecily Joan (1973). ''Hunters River''. Newcastle, NSW: The Administrator of the Estate of Cecily Joan Mitchell. The Mill was renamed the ''Lachlan and Waterloo Flour Mills''. The partnership traded as Hutchinson, Terry & Co. In 1825 the other partners sold out and he and

became the sole owners of the firm, which became generally known as Cooper and Levey.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Daniel British emigrants to Australia 1785 births 1853 deaths Convicts transported to Australia Australian people in whaling Australian ship owners Sealers Australian bankers 19th-century Australian businesspeople