Mark Anthony Cooper graduated from South Carolina College and began practicing law in Eatonton, Georgia. He served in the Georgia House of Representatives and commanded a battalion during the Second Seminole War, rising to the rank of major. Cooper transitioned between political parties, serving in the U.S. Congress as both a Whig and a Democrat. He held leadership roles in the private sector, including managing local banks and an ironworks, and later became president of the Cartersville-Van Wert Railroad.

Mark Anthony Cooper's political identity is marked by an intriguing blend of states' rights advocacy and economic pragmatism. Cooper's military career, particularly his defiance of federal authority during the Second Seminole War, underscores a steadfast commitment to state sovereignty. His post-war economic ventures, including the establishment of the Cartersville-Van Wert Railroad, reveal an ability to navigate and capitalize on shifting regional dynamics. Cooper's approach to economic policy, balancing local interests with broader industrial ambitions, suggests an ideologically agile yet deeply rooted regionalism.