Researching Duncan Cooper

He was the son of Major General George Cooper (1777–1847) and his first wife Jane née Munn (1778–1823).

In 1841 Cooper travelled from London to Australia with George and Harry Thompson, brothers who were to become his partners as squatters and sheep farmers near Fiery Creek, Raglan. In his spare time Duncan painted landscapes of the surrounding area which were later gathered together and published as The Challicum Sketch Book. In 1849 he occupied the Warrapinjoe run, adjacent to the Thomson brothers' run, with an extent of 14,052 acres.

Cooper made a single first-class appearance for the Victorian cricket team, during the 1850–51 season, against Tasmania. This match was the first ever first-class cricket match in Australia. Cooper opened the batting, and thus faced the first ball in Australian first-class cricket. He scored four runs in the first innings, and a duck in the second.

In 1854 Cooper left Australia and returned to London. In 1875 he presented 26 volumes of the work of the Bewick brothers to the Melbourne Public Library. He lived in London, a bachelor, until his death at the age of 90.

In 1908 he became involved in a feud with a political opponent and newspaper competitor, Edward W. Carmack. Cooper warned Carmack that if his name appeared again in Carmack's newspaper, The Tennessean, he would retaliate. Cooper and his son did in fact retaliate after Carmack ignored the warning and continued to attack and satirize Cooper.

Carmack was shot and killed shortly thereafter. In the court case that followed Carmack's murder, Cooper and his son were convicted of second-degree murder, and Duncan Cooper was given a sentence of 20 years in prison. His son was granted a new trial on appeal, but the prosecution decided against pursuing the case.