Prentice Cooper
William Prentice Cooper Jr. (September 28, 1895 – May 18, 1969) was an American politician and diplomat who served as the 39th governor of Tennessee from 1939 to 1945. He led the state's mobilization efforts for World War II, when over 300,000 Tennesseans joined the armed forces, and numerous defense-related facilities were established across the state. He later served as United States Ambassador to Peru (1946–1948) and chaired Tennessee's 1953 constitutional convention.[2]
Prentice Cooper
Leighton Ewell
May 18, 1969 (aged 73)
Rochester, Minnesota, U.S.
Jenkins Chapel Cemetery, Shelbyville, Tennessee
Hortense Powell (m. 1950)[1]
1917–1919
307th Field Artillery
Early life[edit]
Cooper was born at the home of his maternal grandparents, River Side Farmhouse,[3] along the Duck River in Bedford County, Tennessee. He was the son of William Prentice Cooper, an attorney and businessman, and Argentine (Shofner) Cooper. He attended private schools in nearby Shelbyville and graduated in 1913 from the Webb School in Bell Buckle, where he was president of the debate team.[2]
In 1914, Cooper enrolled in Vanderbilt University, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta and vice president of the freshman class. After two years, he transferred to Princeton University, from which he graduated in 1917 with a Bachelor of Arts.[2] Following the U.S. entry into World War I, he enlisted in the Army, initially serving with the 307th Field Artillery before being transferred to Fort Monroe in Virginia. He was discharged in January 1919 with the rank of second lieutenant.[1]
Cooper enrolled in Harvard Law School in February 1919 and graduated with an LL.B in 1921.[2] He was admitted to the bar in 1922 and began practice in Shelbyville. That same year he was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives, where he secured passage of the state's Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act.[2]
Cooper left the house after one term and was elected district attorney of the state's Eighth Judicial District in 1925. He later served as a city attorney for Shelbyville.[1] In the 1930s, he helped organize the Duck River Electric Membership Corporation, an electric cooperative.[2]
Later life[edit]
Cooper was among 12 nominated at the 1944 Democratic National Convention to serve as Franklin D. Roosevelt's running mate in the presidential election that year, receiving 26 votes.[8] In 1946, Cooper was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Peru by President Harry Truman. He convinced Peru to repay an outstanding loan to the United States and had a reputation as a frugal entertainer.[2] An Argentine newspaper accused Cooper of inciting a rebellion by APRA members in Callao in October 1948 (the rebellion took place several months after Cooper had left office), but Cooper adamantly denied any involvement.[2]
Cooper was chairman of the limited state constitutional convention of 1953 which proposed eight amendments to the Tennessee State Constitution, all of which were subsequently adopted by voters. The most notable of these amendments included the repeal of the poll tax and the extension of the gubernatorial term from two years to four years.[2]
Encouraged by pro-segregation interests, Cooper challenged freshman U.S. Senator Albert Gore Sr., in the 1958 Democratic primary but lost handily, with Gore taking about 60% of the vote. Cooper remained an active participant in Democratic Party events until his death from cancer on May 18, 1969, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.[1]