Classic Authors: James Fenimore Cooper

James Fenimore Cooper's writing career began because of a dare. In the evenings, he and his family read aloud new novels. One night, they started reading a recently-acquired book, when James threw it to the ground, muttering, "I could write better than that." His wife laughed, challenging him to prove it. That night, he penned several lines that would become his first book. By the time of his death, James had published 32 novels and many other works.

James Cooper (the Fenimore was legally added in 1826) was born on September 15, 1789, in Burlington, New Jersey. He took his place as the 11th of William and Elizabeth Cooper's 12 children. When James was only one year old, his father moved his family to the frontier of Lake Otsego, where he created a settlement he called Cooperstown. There, William Cooper became a Feudalist judge and an important citizen.

As a young man, James attended a private prep school in Albany, New York. From 1803 to 1805, he studied at Yale. However, he was expelled during his junior year because of a prank, which allegedly involved burning down another student's door. Free from the obligations of school, James decided to take to the sea. He joined the Navy as a midshipman. James disliked the discipline of the military; in 1810 he took a furlough and never returned to active duty.

In 1811, James married Susan De Lancy, with whom he had five children. The marriage seems to have been happy, although the couple would soon find themselves facing financial disaster. Each of his older brothers died before James, leaving him with the responsibility of supporting their families and paying off their debts. By 1820, the Cooper family found itself in serious financial trouble.

In 1820, James Cooper published his first novel, Precaution, which earned him little success. His second novel, however, garnered much more favorable reviews. The Spy(1821) launched James into international fame, and earned him some of the money he so desperately needed. His next book, The Pioneers(1823), began a saga that would make James Cooper a wealthy and famous man. The Pioneers became the first of five books known as "The Leatherstocking Tales." The books were written over 18 years, and starred the first great American hero: Natty Bumpo. The tales–The Pioneers(1823), The Last of the Mohicans(1826), The Prairie(1827), The Pathfinder(1840), and The Deerslayer(1841)–described the waves of settlers moving to the West. All of the books were popular frontier novels.

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