Serving as a sailor in the U.S. Navy, Coxswain John Cooper received the Medal of Honor for his actions on August 5, 1864 at Mobile Bay, Alabama during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Brooklyn. Cooper was 36 years old.
97 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. He later rose to the rank of Quartermaster. Cooper is one of the few people to receive the Medal of Honor twice; see his other award (April 26, 1865).
Cooper was born on July 24, 1828 in Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland — one of 258 recipients born in Ireland. His Medal of Honor is credited to New York, New York. Cooper died on August 22, 1891 in Staten Island, New York, at the age of 63. He is buried at Cypress Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. Records also list him as Mather, John Laver.
Cooper is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 678 credited to New York.
Official Medal of Honor citation
First Award: On board the U.S.S. Brooklyn during action against rebel forts and gunboats and with the ram Tennessee, in Mobile Bay, on 5 August 1864. Despite severe damage to his ship and the loss of several men on board as enemy fire raked her decks from stem to stern, Cooper fought his gun with skill and courage throughout the furious battle which resulted in the surrender of the prize rebel ram Tennessee and in the damaging and destruction of batteries at Fort Morgan.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: American Civil War.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →
From the archives
John L. Cooper's birth name was John Laver Mather. He changed his last name to "Cooper" when he enlisted.
Timeline
- July 24, 1828Born in Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
- August 5, 1864Act of valor — Mobile Bay, AlabamaAge 36. U.S.S. Brooklyn
- August 22, 1891Died in Staten Island, New YorkAge 63.
- Resting placeCypress Hills National CemeteryBrooklyn, New York
Biography
John Cooper (July 24, 1828 – August 22, 1891) (born as John Laver Mather Cooper) was a member of the United States Navy. He is one of only nineteen people who have received the Medal of Honor twice and one of only fourteen to receive the Medal of Honor for two distinct events. His first such award came about because of his actions aboard the USS Brooklyn (1858) during the Battle of Mobile Bay, August 5, 1864. The second award was a result of an accidental fire in which Cooper advanced through the burning area in order to rescue a wounded man from certain death on April 26, 1865. He was buried at Cypress Hills National Cemetery, Section 2, Grave 5022, in Brooklyn, New York.
From the Wikipedia article “John Laver Mather Cooper”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
