Our Founder
Born on March 29, 1892, in Kiev, Ukraine, Morris Cooper was raised by his mother. His father had been robbed and beaten to death by a band of Russian peasants. At the age of sixteen, Cooper tried to enter the University of Odessa, but was denied admission because of residency requirements. This disappointment changed the course of Morris Cooper's life.
On July 11, 1910, at the age of eighteen, Morris Cooper arrived in the United States with one suit and $45.00. He quickly found a job in a shirt factory, where he worked sixty-seven hours a week for $4.00. After paying $3.25 a week for bed and breakfast and $0.25 for carfare, Morris had $0.50 per week left over. He soon found a job paying $7.00 a week, but a strike at the plant put him out of work. Showing initiative, Morris borrowed $750.00 and with a partner opened his own shirt factory. By 1912, he had opened the Imperial Shirt Company in Elizabeth, New Jersey. During the Depression, his business grew into nine factories producing 720,000 shirts per week.
In 1939, Morris Cooper began to invest in Florida real estate. He purchased a ten-acre orange grove on Davie Road, south of Griffin Road. After acquiring more land, he named his groves and cattle land Imperial Ranches. Cooper lost most of his cattle investment due to floods from the hurricane of 1947. Undaunted, in 1952 he purchased 691 acres of land east of Southwest 100th Avenue and Griffin Road for $250,000.
Cooper sold the Imperial Shirt Company for three and one-half million dollars ($3,500,000), in 1958 and retired to Florida. However, his retirement did not last long. That year he joined with a group of investors and began plans for a city that was to be literally "in the Everglades". Though he did not know much about planning and development, Morris Cooper envisioned a properly planned and zoned community.
By 1959, lots were being sold to developers. Cooper City was born. Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) worth of lots were sold and by 1963, 120 homes were built on Cooper's 691 acre site. Unfortunately, most of these homes were not occupied. Cooper City appeared to be a losing proposition and investors began to pull out their money.
Unable to desert his sparsely populated City, Mr. Cooper invested one and one-fourth million dollars ($1,250,000) to keep the City alive. Most of that money went toward the construction of the Cooper Colony Golf and Country Club and Cooper City Water and Sewage Company.
Hard times continued despite Cooper's efforts. Between 1963 through 1968, the utility plant lost $6,000 per year. Unable to sell the plant, Cooper maintained ownership until 1974. Morris Cooper's dedication and determination paid off, for Cooper City did recover and begin to grow. At the time of Cooper's death in 1975, the City had become home to more than 4,000 people.
In addition to keeping the community afloat through hard times, he was also the benefactor of Cooper City in other ways. The ground, on which the present City Hall and American Legion are located, was donated by Morris and his wife, Clara. In addition, he provided more than $10,000 in Israeli Savings Bonds to revive and restore construction of the Legion Post and Community Center during the real estate recession of the 1970's.
Morris Cooper's humanitarianism and philanthropy were not confined to Cooper City. At Brandeis University, he set up seven scholarships in his name. He contributed to the Hope School for special needs children, Mount Sinai Hospital and Nova Southeastern University. However, the medical center he and his wife built in Jerusalem, Israel, was his proudest achievement.
Mr. Cooper's last public appearance was at the dedication of City Hall in 1974. He died on January 9, 1975 at the age of 82. He was buried with a Cooper City flag and the only "Key to Cooper City" that was ever made. He is laid to rest at Mt. Nebo Cemetery in Miami. Then Cooper City Mayor, Russell Setti, gave a portion of the eulogy.
The dream has become a reality for Cooper City, a growing community that can boast of its excellent schools, prospering businesses and strong community spirit.
In the words of Tom Madden, former commander of Post 321: "Your type of philanthropy comes from your warm heart and will always be appreciated by the grateful and sincere people of Your Cooper City".