Jefferson County Online A part of the IAGenWeb and USGenWeb Projects Coop in the Legislature

When Henry County was organized, in 1836, its jurisdiction extended to the western line of the Black Hawk Purchase. When the second purchase was made, in 1837 (ratified and confirmed in February, 1838), that jurisdiction was extended to the western boundary line of Jefferson County. With the enlargement of the territory, there was an expansion of settlement. "Squatters" came in and made claims in nearly every part of the new purchase. These settlements were scattering, sometimes miles a part (sic), but so increased the population that, in the early part of 1838, Col. Coop and others began to agitate the formation of a new county. Coop had county seat aspirations. He hoped to make his town of Lockridge, which he had laid out in the spring of 1837, the seat of justice of the new county. In that year (1838), and with such aspirations, Coop was a candidate for election to the Territorial Legislature from this part of Henry County, and was elected. Of that Legislature and Coop's scheme for a new county, Hawkins Taylor wrote as follows in a letter published in the Fairfield Ledger, under date of November 6, 1878:

"In the winter of 1838-39, I served in the first Iowa Legislature with W. G. Coop, who then lived on Walnut Creek, and in part represented Henry County. That part of Jefferson that had then been purchased from the Indians was attached to Henry County for legislative and judicial purposes. In that whole Legislature there was but a single member that had ever been in any Legislature before. That one was Van Delashmut, who was living, a few years since, in Mahaska County. Van was full of fun, and no man had more of it than he did. Not many of the members had ever seen any Legislature in session; but it was a lively Legislature, and full of business. There was no greener member than Coop at that time, but he was thoroughly honest and was liked by all the members. On account of my relatives and friends in Round Prairie, I took an active interest in having Coop get his new county. At that time, Lawson B. Hughes and Doctor Paine were the councilmen from Henry County, and they did not like to make the new county. They were Democrats, and the new county would be Democratic, while the division would leave Henry Whig; but Coop got his new county."