William Taylor Cope was a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 politician in the state of Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

 and was Ohio State Treasurer

Ohio State Treasurer

-List of Ohio State Treasurers:...

 from 1892-1896.

William T. Cope was born in 1836 at Columbiana County, Ohio

Columbiana County, Ohio

Columbiana County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 107,841. It is named for Christopher Columbus and the county seat is Lisbon....

, and in his earlier years was a coal operator or merchant. During the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 he was a Captain in the 143rd Volunteer Infantry

143rd Ohio Infantry

The 143rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 143rd Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio and mustered in May 12, 1864 for 100 days service under the command of Colonel William H. Vodrey.The regiment...

. He represented his county in the Ohio House of Representatives

Ohio House of Representatives

The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....

, winning elections in 1885 and 1887 to the 67th and 68th General Assemblies.

Cope then moved to Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

, where he was a wholesale coal dealer. In 1891 and again in 1893, he was elected State Treasurer. Later he worked for a bank in Columbus

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

. He died November 26, 1902, and is interred at Green Lawn Cemetery, Columbus, Ohio