Octavius Coope

Who was Octavius Coope?

Octavius Edward Coope was an English brewer and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1847 and 1886.

Coope was the son of John Coope of Great Cumberland Place, London and his wife Anna Maria. In 1845 Coope and his brother George joined the brewer Edward Ind to form the brewery company of Ind Coope which was based at Romford.

In 1847 Coope was elected as Member of Parliament for Great Yarmouth. However in the following year he was unseated on the grounds of bribery. Coope had residences at Rochetts in South Weald and Berechurch Hall. He helped to endow the church of St. Paul, Bentley Common and Crescent Road Infants' School, South Weald. He was a director of the Phoenix Fire and the Pelican Life Insurance Cos and a J.P. and Deputy Lieutenant for Essex.

Coope was next elected as MP for Middlesex in 1874. On 14 February 1881 he laid the foundation-stone for a new church at Brentwood. He held the Middlesex seat until 1885 when the constituency was reorganised. In 1885, he was elected as MP for Brentford. but died in the following year at the age of 72.

Coope died at the age of 72 and was buried at St Peters South Weald.