Jere Cooper | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromTennessee | |
| In office March 4, 1929 – December 18, 1957 | |
| Preceded by | Finis J. Garrett |
| Succeeded by | Fats Everett |
| Constituency | 9th District (1929-1933) 8th District (1933-1943) 9th District (1943-1953) 8th District (1953-1957) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 20, 1893 (1893-07-20) Dyer County, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | December 18, 1957 (1957-12-19) (aged 64) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
| Citizenship |  United States |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Mary Rankley Cooper |
| Children | Jere Cooper |
| Alma mater | Cumberland School of Law |
| Profession | Attorneypolitician |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1917 - April 2, 1919 |
| Rank |  First LieutenantCaptain(July 9, 1918) |
| Unit | Second Tennessee Infantry,National GuardCo K, 119th Infantry, Thirtieth Division |
| Battles/wars | World War I(France andBelgium) |
Jere Cooper (July 20, 1893 – December 18, 1957) was aDemocraticUnited States representative from Tennessee.
Cooper was born on afarm nearDyersburg,Dyer County, Tennessee, son of Joseph W. and Viola May (Cooper) Cooper. He attendedpublic schools and then was graduated from theCumberland School of Law inLebanon, Tennessee, in 1914. He was admitted to thebar in 1915 and commenced practice inDyersburg, Tennessee. He married Mary Rankley in December 1930; the couple had one son, Leon Jere Cooper, who died as a child.[1]
Upon theU.S. entry intoWorld War I in 1917, Cooper enlisted in the Second Tennessee Infantry,National Guard, and was commissioned afirst lieutenant. Later he was transferred, with his company, to Co K, 119th Infantry, Thirtieth Division, and served inFrance andBelgium. On July 9, 1918, he was promoted tocaptain and served asregimentaladjutant until discharged from the army on April 2, 1919. After the war he resumed the practice of law in Dyersburg.
Cooper was a member of thecity council and city attorney from 1920 to 1928, and was elected department commander of theAmerican Legion of Tennessee in 1921.
Elected as a Democrat to the71st, and to the fourteen succeeding,Congresses, Cooper served from March 4, 1929, until his death.[2] He served as chairman of theU.S. House Committee on Ways and Means (84th and85th Congresses), and on the Joint Committee on Internal Revenue Taxation (Eighty-fifth Congress).[3]
He was a signatory to the 1956Southern Manifesto that opposed the desegregation of public schools ordered by the Supreme Court inBrown v. Board of Education.
Cooper died inBethesda, Maryland, on December 18, 1957 (age 64 years, 151 days). He isinterred at Fairview Cemetery, Dyersburg, Tennessee.[4]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromTennessee's 9th congressional district 1929–1933 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromTennessee's 8th congressional district 1933–1943 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromTennessee's 9th congressional district 1943–1953 | Succeeded by Clifford Davis |
| Preceded by Tom Murray | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromTennessee's 8th congressional district 1953–1957 | Succeeded by |
