Cooper, Myles, 1737?-1785, 2d president of King's College (now Columbia Univ.), b. England, educated at Oxford. He was ordained a priest in 1761 and went to King's College (1762) as professor of moral philosophy and assistant to the president. In 1763 he was made president, succeeding Samuel Johnson. Although his early administration was marked by the founding of a grammar school, a medical school, and a hospital, with changes in the curriculum and great increase in prestige, the college experienced hardships during the American Revolution. Cooper was an active and vocal Loyalist, and in 1775 he was forced to flee before the patriots' hatred to a British warship in New York harbor. He returned to Oxford and lived out his life in England.

(born circa 1584, Lancashire, Eng.—died Oct. 3, 1656, Duxbury, Mass.) British-American colonist. He fought in the Netherlands, where he met the Pilgrims, with whom he later sailed to North America on the Mayflower (1620). As the Plymouth colony's military leader, he led several expeditions against hostile Indian tribes. He served as the colony's assistant governor and treasurer (1644–49). There is no historical evidence for the story that he asked John Alden to propose marriage for him to Priscilla Mullins, as mythologized in Henry W. Longfellow's poem The Courtship of Miles Standish (1858).

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(born circa 1584, Lancashire, Eng.—died Oct. 3, 1656, Duxbury, Mass.) British-American colonist. He fought in the Netherlands, where he met the Pilgrims, with whom he later sailed to North America on the Mayflower (1620). As the Plymouth colony's military leader, he led several expeditions against hostile Indian tribes. He served as the colony's assistant governor and treasurer (1644–49). There is no historical evidence for the story that he asked John Alden to propose marriage for him to Priscilla Mullins, as mythologized in Henry W. Longfellow's poem The Courtship of Miles Standish (1858).

Learn more about Standish, Myles with a free trial on Britannica.com.

In Greek mythology, Myles (a son of Lelex, king of Laconia) was brother to Polycaon, and was the father of Eurotas who fathered Sparta after whom the city of Sparta was named. After his father died, Myles ruled Laconia. During Myles' life, he was often referred to and known as the Miller; hence he has been regarded as the inventor of the mill. Following his own death, his son Eurotas succeeded him. The name Myles (or Miles) is said to come from the Greek root milo which means strength.

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