of his descendants may still live in the area. After 1791, when Otsego County was split off from Montgomery County, Cooper was appointed as a county judge. He was later elected to two terms in Congress, representing the Federalist Party in the 4th (March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1797) and the 6th United States Congresses (March 4, 1799 – March 3, 1801). In 1796, Cooper determined to make his home permanently in the town he had founded, which by that time promised to become a thriving settlement. It attracted many land-hungry migrants from New England. He began the construction of a mansion, completed in 1799, which he named Otsego Hall. For many years it served as his manor house; it was by far the most spacious and stately private residence in central New York. Cooper family tradition has it that Judge Cooper was killed by a blow to the head sustained during an argument with a political opponent after a public meeting in Albany, New York on December 22, 1809. No evidence of this can be found, and the story appeared to arise in 1897. A great-grandson of the judge published this account, which historians consider implausible. They believe that Judge Cooper died of natural causes. Cooper was buried at the Episcopal Christ Churchyard in Cooperstown. His son James Fenimore Cooper, a popular author of historical novels, was buried there many years later. A great-grandson, Paul F. Clark, became a Nebraska State Representative. A 2xgreat-grandson, writer Paul Fenimore Cooper, is known for the children's adventure, Tal: His Marvelous Adventures with Noom-Zor-Noom (1929, reprint 1957 and 2001). Legacy and honors Cooperstown was named for him, as he was the founder. References William Cooper, "How Settlements were Promoted", from A Guide in the Wilderness, 1810 James Fenimore Cooper (1858-1938, grandson of the author), "William Cooper and Andrew Craig's Purchase of Croghan's Land", New York History, October 1931 Lyman H. Butterfield, "Judge William Cooper (1754-1809): A Sketch of his Character and Accomplishment", New York History, October 1949 Lyman H. Butterfield, "Cooper's Inheritance: The Otsego Country and its Founders", New York History, October 1954 David M. Ellis, "The Coopers and New York State Landholding Systems", New York History, October 1954] James H. Pickering, "Cooper's Otsego Heritage: The Sources of The Pioneers", New York History, July 1979 Alan Taylor, "Who Murdered William Cooper?", New York History, July 1991 Alan Taylor, "Who was Elizabeth Cooper?",