Jump to content

Roy Asberry Cooper Jr.

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Roy Asberry Cooper Jr.
Personal details
Born(1927-03-13)March 13, 1927
Nash County, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedNovember 28, 2014(2014-11-28) (aged 87)
Nashville, North Carolina, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseBeverly Thorne Batchelor
ChildrenRoy Cooper
Pell Cooper
Alma materWake Forest University (BS)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (JD)
Occupationlawyer, political strategist, campaign manager, farmer
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceUnited States United States Navy

Roy Asberry Cooper Jr. (March 13, 1927 – November 28, 2014) was an American lawyer, political strategist, and farmer. A Democrat, he served as a county manager for Governor Dan K. Moore and was a political advisor and campaign chair for Governor Jim Hunt, Governor J. Melville Broughton, and Skipper Bowles. He was the father of Governor Roy Cooper and District Court judge Pell Cooper.

Early life and education

[edit]

Cooper was born on March 13, 1927 in Nash County, North Carolina to Lois Clark Cooper and Roy Asberry Cooper, Sr.[1] He graduated from Wake Forest University with a bachelor of science degree in 1949 and graduated from law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1956.[2][1] He briefly served in the United States Navy.[1]

Career

[edit]

He was a law partner at the firm Fields, Cooper, and Henderson, and owned a farm in Nash County.[3][2] He worked as a solicitor of the Nash County Recorder's Court, served as president of the Nash-Edgecombe Bar Association, and was a member of the Seventh District Bar Association.[2] Cooper was a member of the North Carolina Democratic Party and served as a political operative and advisor to Jim Hunt, co-chairing Hunt's successful 1976 gubernatorial campaign.[2][4][5] He also served as county manager for Governor Dan K. Moore and served on the campaigns of Governor J. Melville Broughton and Skipper Bowles.[5][2] He served as secretary of the Nash County Democratic Executive Committee and was a member of the Medical Development Authority.[2][5]

Cooper was inducted into the General Practice Hall of Fame by the North Carolina Bar Association in 2008.[6]

Personal life and death

[edit]

Cooper married Beverly Thorne Batchelor, a schoolteacher, with whom he had two children, Roy and Pell.[3][2]

He was a member of the board of trustees of Nash County General Hospital and served on the board of deacons of Nashville Baptist Church in Nashville, North Carolina.[2]

Cooper died at his home in Nashville on November 28, 2014. A funeral service was held at Nashville Baptist Church on November 30, 2014 followed by a burial service in Forest Hills Cemetery.[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d "Roy Asberry Cooper, Jr". The Nashville Graphic. Nashville, North Carolina. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Scott, Broughton Name Nash Campaign Leaders. The Nashville Graphic. February 22, 1968.
  3. ^ a b Vaughan, Dawn Baumgartner (August 23, 2024). "Who is Roy Cooper? The NC governor could be a Democratic VP contender for Harris". The News & Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
  4. ^ North Carolina Manual 2011, p. 190.
  5. ^ a b c Cooper, Siler Will Direct Hunt Drive In Nash County. Rocky Mount Telegram. January 22, 1988.
  6. ^ Clark, Amanda (June 24, 2008). "Roy Cooper inducted into Hall of Fame". The Nashville Graphic. Nashville, North Carolina. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Roy_Asberry_Cooper_Jr.&oldid=1304741824"