Temple Franklin Cooper was born around 1810 in South Carolina. He married Unity Patrick on November 3, 1841, and they had at least five children: Lafayette, born around 1842; Florida, born around 1844; Buena Vista, born around 1846; William, born around 1848; and Joseph, born around 1849. They lived in Franklin County, Georgia, and he worked as a lawyer. By 1850, they owned $6,800 of real estate. A decade later, they owned $5,000 of real estate and $15,000 of personal property.
He received a commission as a captain in Company C of the 52nd Georgia Infantry. The regiment took part in the Vicksburg campaign. Union forces captured him in the Battle of Champion Hill on May 16, 1863, and imprisoned him on Johnson’s Island in Ohio. He died there of erysipelas on February 3, 1864.