Ashley Joseph Cooper (1868-1941) Part 2

Linotype machine

Ashley Joseph Cooper or otherwise known to family as "Joe," marries for a second time on 31 Dec 1918 to Daisy E. Smith. He states himself as a "widow," on his marriage registration concerning the unknown fate of his first wife Ida Hancock. 

I also find a marriage announcement in the local newspaper, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser on 5 Jan 1919. They settled in their new home at 1721 Dole St. 

Ashley J. Cooper and Daisy E. Smith, marriage announcement, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 5 Jan. 1919, page 13, col. 7. Newspapers.com on Ancestry.com : Accessed 23 Jul 2017.

I find Ashley and Daisy in the 1920-1940 United States Census in Honolulu, Hawaii. He continues to be a linotyper for the  Honolulu-Star Bulletin as stated in this article before he was married dated from 1915. He also was blessed to see one of his sisters, Jane M. Cooper Oswald, in San Francisco, before his trip back to Hawaii. They had not seen each other in 25 years. 

Ashley J. Cooper. Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 14 Sep 1915, page 6, col. 4. Newspapers.com on Ancestry.com : Accessed 23 Jul 2017.

On 9 May 1941, Ashley dies of heart disease. I obtained a full copy of Ashley’s obituary in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin by writing to Hawaii State Library - Hawaii and Pacific Reference back in 2011. This were very helpful as my aunt had a copy of the original article, but a section of this copy of the article was torn off. This article can now be found on Newspaper.com.

Friday, May 9, 1941 - “A. J. Cooper, 72, Dies on Garden Isle.”

  Ashley J. Cooper, 72, of 1721 Dole St., and for the past 31 years a linotype operator with the Star-Bulletin, died of heart disease at Lihue, Kauai, at 1:30 p.m. today.

  Death came to Mr. Cooper while on a mission to the Garden Island attempting settlement of the 10 months old waterfront strike there in his capacity as a member of the territorial labor commission.

  On April 8, while on Kauai, attending strike settlement conferences, Mr. Cooper suffered an attack of heart disease.  

  Recovered sufficiently, he retuned to Honolulu.

  On Thursday morning, with other mediators, he went to Kauai by plane.

  Again stricken, the attack suffered early today was fatal.

  The body was cremated on Kauai and the ashes will be brought to Honolulu by Howard Durham, U.S. labor conciliation board member, on the steamer leaving Kauai tonight.

  Funeral services will be announced later.

  Surviving are the widow, Mrs. Daisy E. Cooper; a sister, Mrs. Jennie Oswald of Palo Alto, Cal.; and a brother, Walter Cooper, of Denver, Colo.

  “Mr. Cooper was a valuable member of the labor commission,” Governor Poindexter said today, “and his death will be a loss to the territory.

  “He had that rare quality of inspiring the confidence of both sides in a labor dispute.

  “His work in helping settle the Honolulu Rapid Transit Co. strike was outstanding. He had worked indefatigably, too, on the Kauai strike.”

  “I do not believe Mr. Cooper would have wanted this to happen any other way,” John Mason Young, chairman of the labor and industrial relations commission said.

  “He had consistently refused to allow his own health to interfere in the performance of his duty.”

  “The department of labor and industrial relations is greatly shocked at the news of the sudden death of Mr. Cooper,” Charles Savage, director, said.

  “Mr. Cooper was appointed by the governor to try to bring about an amicable settlement of the strike at Port Allen, Kauai, and he returned to Kauai Thursday with the hope that through his efforts the strike would be settled. 

  “As a member of the commission of labor and industrial relations, Mr. Cooper has endeared himself to the department and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him.”

  

  M. J. Jardin, president of the Honolulu Typographical union No. 37 said: “Mr. Cooper was a tireless worker in the community and Honolulu has lost a good citizen. 

  “He was considered a labor conservative. It can be honestly said that the settlement of the Honolulu Rapid Transit Co. strike was due more to his efforts than to those of any other person involved.”

  Born in Ireland on August 22, 1868, Mr. Cooper was in his 73rd year. He was the son of [the Rev.] Austin Cooper. [The Rev. Austin Cooper was Ashley’s grand-uncle.] 

  Mr. Cooper was a resident of Hawaii for about 30 years.

  A member of the International Typographical Union, he was long identified with labor activities in the territory.

  Since last January, when he was appointed by Governor Poindexter to the labor commission, Mr. Cooper worked unceasingly in the cause of peaceful industrial relations. 

  His efforts as the governor's representative in the recent Honolulu Rapid Transit Co. strike were an important factor in the settlement of that issue.

  Then acting in the same capacity, he turned his attention to the Kauai waterfront strike.

  On this last trip to Kauai, he was accompanied by William Geurts of the U.S. maritime labor board. Mr. Durham, Montgomery E. Winn, attorney for Alexander & Baldwin, and Arthur G. Smith. Attorney for American Factors.

  Mr. Cooper was a Shriner and a Mason.

POST NOTE

Ashley Joseph Cooper died the same month, my father, Stanley Gibson Cooper, joined the US. Navy. Stan referred to his granduncle & grandaunt, Uncle Joe & Aunt Daisy, several times the following year in his letters home to his parents as he served in the Pacific during WWII. See blog posts covering World War II Letters.