John Cooper
| Date and Place of Birth: | May 10, 1890 Fairport, OH |
| Date and Place of Death: | September 2, 1918 France |
| Baseball Experience: | Minor League |
| Position: | Catcher |
| Rank: | Private |
| Military Unit: | 11th Infantry Regiment, 5th Division US Army |
| Area Served: | France |
John Cooper, the son of Jacob and Anna Kupari, was born on May 10,
1890 at Fairport (now Fairport Harbor), Ohio. A catcher,
his professional baseball career began with the Duluth White Sox of the
Class D Minnesota-Wisconsin League in 1909, also playing for the
Superior Blues of the same league that year. In 1910, Cooper was with
the Brandon Angels of the Class D Western Canada League, batting .225 in
99 games.
Cooper was drafted by the White Sox at the end of the season and joined
the Dubuque Hustlers of the Class B Three-I League in 1911. He was still
with Dubuque at the start of 1912, but was sold to Peoria of the same
league in May. He left organized baseball for the rest of the season and
played for Calumet in the (Iron-Copper League). Reports claim he was
resigned by the White Sox but it appers he chose to stay with Calumet
for the 1913 season.
In 1914 he was back in organized baseball with the Erie Yankees of the Class B Canadian League,
batting .301 in 45 games. Remaining with Erie in 1915, but this time in
the Class B Central League, Cooper played 51 games and batted .195.
Cooper entered military service on October 2, 1917 and served as a
private with the 11th Infantry Regiment of the 5th Division. He was accidently killed
while serving in France on September 2, 1918.
In 1936, Cooper's body was returned to the United States and now rests at Evergreen Cemetery in Painesville, Ohio.
Sources
Sporting Life Feb 8, 1913
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette Oct 13, 1918
Oakland Tribune Oct 19, 1918
www.find-a-grave.com
Date Added: July 14, 2012 Updated July 8, 2013
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