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John Whitfield Cowper, president of
the John W. Cowper Company, engineers and contractors, is
executive head of one of the big engineering concerns of Buffalo,
and has made for himself a notable record in the engineering
field.
Mr. Cowper was born in Suffolk, Virginia, April 27, 1871, son of
Henry D. and Evelyn (Whitfield) Cowper. His father died in 1873,
and his mother in 1884.
He received his education in the public schools of his native
city, and then, in February, 1888, entered the engineering and
construction field as a rodman in the engineering corps of the
city of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Eight months later, in October
1888, he became identified with the engineering corps of the Queen
& Crescent Railroad Company, and this connection he maintained
until May, 1893, serving as chairman, rodman, draftsman, and
finally, as assistant engineer, in which latter capacity he took
charge of parties on location, surveys, and relocation, and also
had charge of parties supervising the construction of new work
such as buildings, additions to tracks, etc. His next work
completed during the months of May, June, and July, 1893, was the
supervision of a party making surveys for the subdivision of
approximately five hundred acres of land outside of Cincinnati,
and the following month, he began the work of inspecting the
masonry of the reconstructed bridge near Columbus, on the
Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis railroad.
From April, 1901, to May, 1909, he was associated with James
Stewart & Company, first as superintendent, and later as
manager of all work for that company in England, and also as
branch manager in the United States. During this time he was
superintendent of construction on the plant for the British
Westinghouse Company at Manchester, England, for the
electrification of the Morsey railway at Liverpool, included power
house and track work, and for three power houses, including one
for the metropolitan railroad at London. During this time he also
had charge of the construction of the Midland railway station at
Manchester, England, and of the addition to the Savoy Hotel at
London, the Allis-Chalmers Company's plant at Milwaukee, Armstrong
Cork Company's plant at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and many other
large construction projects. In May, 1909, he was made
vice-president of the Worden-Allen Company of Milwaukee, and of
the Lackawanna Bridge Company of Buffalo, and in this connection
was in charge of all general construction work, including many
complete industrial plants as well as steel construction for
buildings and bridges.
On December 28, 1907, Cowper married Josephine Osborne of Adams,
Massachusetts ... and they are the parents of one child, John
Whitfield, Jr., who is twelve years of age and is attending
Nichols School.
In May, 1909, he was made vice president of the Worden-Allen
Company of Milwaukee, and of the Lackawanna Bridge Company of
Buffalo, and in this connection was in charge of all general
construction work, including many complete industrial plants as
well as steel construction for buildings and bridges.
This association he maintained until April, 1915, when the John W.
Cowper Company was organized. With $500,000 capital he formed The
John W. Cowper Company, Inc. He was made president of the concern
and under his skillful direction this company has become one of
the big engineering and contracting organizations of Buffalo.
Under Mr. Cowper's direction many large and important buildings
have been constructed, including many steel frame and reinforced
concrete structures for industrial purposes.
Among these may be named
The general offices are in Buffalo, with branch offices in
Pittsburgh, and New York City.
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