Thomas Coupe was born in New Brunswick, Canada[1] and began going to sea at the age of 12.

[3] The town of Coupeville was named after him;[4] there, he built a house in 1854, from Californian redwood.

[3] Coupe was also the sailing master on the Jefferson Davis, the first revenue cutter on Puget Sound.

Coupe retired to his farm on Whidbey Island, remaining there until his death in 1875.

He is buried in the Sunnyside Cemetery in the central Whidbey Island area.