Cooney was born in
County Limerick,
Ireland on July 28, 1848. His parents moved their family to the United States in 1852, and settled in
Troy, New York. Cooney was educated in Troy, and at age 18 moved to
Missouri, where he attended the public schools and the
University of Missouri at
Columbia. He then became a school teacher and principal, and worked in
Illinois and Missouri for several years, including serving as principal of the high school in
Sturgeon, Missouri. In 1875 Cooney settled in
Marshall, Missouri. He studied law, was admitted to the bar, and established a practice. He was elected
Saline County probate judge in 1880. In 1882 and 1884 he won election as the county's prosecuting attorney. Cooney was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-fifth, Fifty-sixth, and Fifty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1903). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1902. After leaving Congress, Cooney resumed the practice of law in Marshall. He died there on November 16, 1904, and was interred at Ridge Park Cemetery. ==External links==