| Honorific-Prefix: | The Honourable |
| Sir Pope Cooper | |
| Constituency Am1: | Bowen |
| Assembly1: | Queensland Legislative |
| Term Start1: | 24 January 1881 |
| Term End1: | 5 January 1883 |
| Predecessor1: | Henry Beor |
| Successor1: | Charles Chubb |
| Order2: | 4th |
| Office2: | Chief Justice of Queensland |
| Term Start2: | 21 October 1903 |
| Term End2: | 31 March 1922 |
| Predecessor2: | Samuel Griffith |
| Successor2: | Thomas McCawley |
| Birth Date: | 12 May 1846 |
| Birth Place: | Lake George, New South Wales, Australia |
| Death Place: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Restingplace: | Toowong Cemetery |
| Birthname: | Pope Alexander Cooper |
| Nationality: | Australian |
| Spouse: | Alice Frener Cooper (m.1873 d.1900) |
| Alma Mater: | University of Sydney, University of London |
Sir Pope Alexander Cooper (12 May 184630 August 1923) was an attorney-general and a chief judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland, Australia.
Pope Alexander Cooper was born at Willeroo Station, Lake George, New South Wales, the son of Francis Cooper, a squatter, and his wife Sarah, née Jenkins. Cooper was educated at the Sydney Grammar School and the University of Sydney, where he won the Cooper and Gilchrist scholarships and graduated with a B.A. and in 1868 a M.A. He then went to London where he completed the LL.B. course, became a student of the Middle Temple, and was called to the English bar in June 1872.
Cooper returned to Australia and began to practise as a barrister at Brisbane in June 1874. He became a crown prosecutor in January 1879 and entered the Legislative Assembly of Queensland as member for Bowen. On 31 December 1880 he joined the first Thomas McIlwraith ministry as Attorney-General.[1] He resigned this position on 6 January 1883 when he was appointed as a supreme court judge for the northern district of Queensland. His travelling expenses caused some quarrels. In 1895 he became senior puisne judge at Brisbane, and on 21 October 1903 chief justice. There was animosity between the Labor government and the judges, playing out through a series of cases challenging government actions and legislation.[2] [3]
In 1873, Cooper married Alice Frener, daughter of James Cooper who died in 1900 leaving a son and two daughters.
He was knighted 1904 and was created a KCMG in 1908.
In 1903 he was elected president of Brisbane's Johnsonian Club.[8] He was chancellor of the University of Queensland from 1915 to 1922.
Cooper had only a short career in parliament but made himself a reputation as a polished speaker. As a judge he was always seeking the essentials of a case and generally adopted a common attitude on legal questions. His summings up were usually brief and to the point. In criminal cases he could be severe though just. In his conduct of the court, though always courteous, he insisted that the dignity of the bench must be upheld, and he was quick to restrain anything in the nature of contempt of court.