Date/Time
Date(s) - 12/06/2024
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Location
Campus Martius Museum
Join us as we welcome President Abraham Lincoln (AKA John Cooper) for our final Brown Baggin’ speaker series of 2024. This event is FREE and open to the public.
Mr. Cooper began portraying President Abraham Lincoln more than 25 years ago. A co-worker constantly maintained that he reminded her of Abraham Lincoln due to his tall stature and Lincoln-styled beard. Having discovered an old Lincoln-styled coat in his mother’s attic, he then acquired a stovepipe hat, and began presentations around President’s Day in the elementary schools. Mr. Cooper is a self-avowed history nut, and considers Lincoln as his favorite President and our greatest President (even above George Washington). He has an extensive personal history library that includes over 100 books about Lincoln and his colleagues.
In the earliest days, presentations were mostly confined to Pickerington Schools and a few other close schools (maybe due to lack of the requisite wrinkles in his face). Having grown naturally into those wrinkles and after the sesquicentennial of Lincoln’s presidency and the civil war, he has expanded his personal appearances to many adult performances, including the Violet Township (Pickerington) Bicentennial Celebration, the Ohio State Fair, numerous county fairs and festivals, political dinners, and schools all over Ohio. He enjoys the opportunity to meet with people of all ages (but children remain the favorite) and sharing stories about Lincoln and his life.
The toughest part of portraying a dead historical figure is trying to remain in character and time period, when many audience questions refer to subject matter that cannot be fully discussed without references to events and facts that were not known until after Lincoln’s assassination.