Ira L. Cooper
Ira L. Cooper | |
|---|---|
Cooper in a 1926 publication of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat | |
| Born | Ira Luther Cooper c. 1878 Mexico, Missouri, US |
| Died | February 15, 1939 (aged 61) St. Louis, Missouri, US |
| Burial place | Washington Park Cemetery |
| Alma mater | Illinois College of Optometry |
| Occupation | Police detective |
| Years active | 1906–1939 |
Ira Luther Cooper[1] (c. 1878 – February 15, 1939) was an American police detective. He was the first African-American police detective in St. Louis.
Biography
Cooper was born c. 1878, in Mexico, Missouri,[2] the son of schoolteacher E. J. Cooper.[1] He intended to work as an optometrist, so studied at the Illinois College of Optometry, then moved to St. Louis to practice. He "starved for a year", as he described it, then left the industry for public service. Between optometry and policing, he worked as a treasurer, mail sorter, and journalist.[3][4]
On June 15, 1906, Cooper joined the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.[5] After his training in 1907, he was named a detective. A skilled detective, he was named sergeant then lieutenant, in 1923 and 1930, respectively. During his time, he was the only African-American police detective west of the Mississippi River, as well as the first African-American police lieutenant in St. Louis.[3] He primarily solved kidnappings and robberies, such as the kidnapping of Adolphus Busch Orthwein. For a robbery case, he earned $3,000, the highest payout for a St. Louis detective. He prevented a 1911 lynching by threatening to shoot whoever approached he or the potential victim.[6] Reportedly, he solved every case given to him.[4]
Cooper was married to Lucana Cooper, and they had two children together. He died on February 15, 1939, aged 61, in St. Louis, from heart disease. He had previously been hospitalized for two months due to illness, returning to police work after recovering, though again left service in his last three weeks.[3][7] He is buried in Washington Park Cemetery.[8]
Cooper's legacy has primarily been driven by Gregory Carr, a faculty of Harris–Stowe State University. Prior to Carr, Cooper had a "dearth of information", with a 2018 article by the National Endowment for the Humanities saying he "doesn't even have a Wikipedia page". Carr produced a single-actor play about Cooper, and pushes for a street to be named for him, and for a statue of him to be erected.[4]
References
- ^ a b "Lieut. Cooper Died Tuesday; Famed Officer". Mexico Weekly Ledger. February 23, 1939. p. 11. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
- ^ Erwin, James W.; Erwin, Vicki Berger (April 12, 2021). Notorious Missouri: 200 Years of Historic Crimes. History Press. ISBN 978-1-4396-7232-7.
- ^ a b c "Ira L. Cooper Dies; 32 Years a Detective". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. February 16, 1939. p. 3. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
- ^ a b c "St. Louis's First Black Detective Always Cracked the Case". National Endowment for the Humanities. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
- ^ LaCoss, Louis (June 20, 1926). "A Negro Police Sergeant With an Enviable Record". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. p. 73. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
- ^ Dulaney, W. Marvin (February 22, 1996). Black Police in America. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-21040-1.
- ^ "Lieutenant Ira L. Cooper of St. Louis Dies". The Call. February 17, 1939. p. 25. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
- ^ "Lt. Ira L. Cooper To Be Buried Saturday". St. Louis Argus. February 17, 1939. p. 1. Retrieved January 3, 2026.