Oscar James Cooper

Oscar James Cooper (1888 – October 9, 1972) was a physician and African-American cultural leader. He is known for cofounding Omega Psi Phi in Washington, D.C., the first fraternity founded by students at a historically black college. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was a charter member of the Pyramid Club.

Early life

Cooper was born in Washington, D.C. in 1888. He attended Howard University, receiving a Bachelor's degree in 1913. Cooper majored in biology and was a lab assistant for biologist Ernest Everett Just.

While an undergraduate at Howard, Cooper cofounded Omega Psi Phi fraternity, along with Edgar Amos Love and Frank Coleman on November 17, 1911. The idea forming a fraternity began with a conversation between Love and Cooper, who were later joined by Coleman. Cooper was the fraternity's first secretary. He interned at Mercy Hospital in Philadelphia. He belonged to the First African Baptist Church in Philadelphia. His wife, who was upstairs, heard a commotion and called the police. The text of the marker reads:

At the unveiling ceremony for the marker, the block of Jefferson Street between 16th and 17th was renamed to Dr. Oscar J. Cooper Way.