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Cooper, Peter
| (1791-1883), U.S. mechanical engineer and inventor, built the Tom Thumb, the first U.S. steam locomotive (1830), notable for negotiating sharp curves on the B&O Railroad. Other firsts include the first American industrial park in 1828 (with associates) and the first structural iron for fireproof buildings (1854, for which we won the Bessemer Gold Medal in 1890). He opened Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, noted as a forerunner for new ideas, in New York City in 1859. He ran for president of the United States in 1876 (independent Greenback Party). He was born Feb. 12, 1791, New York City, and died, April 4, 1883, New York City. |
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