25 Facts About Prentice Cooper

Prentice Cooper 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.

Prentice Cooper later served as United States Ambassador to Peru and chaired Tennessee's 1953 constitutional convention.

Prentice Cooper was the son of William Prentice Cooper, an attorney and businessman, and Argentine Cooper.

Prentice Cooper 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.

In 1914, Prentice Cooper enrolled in Vanderbilt University, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta and vice president of the freshman class.

Prentice Cooper was discharged in January 1919 with the rank of second lieutenant.

Prentice Cooper enrolled in Harvard Law School in February 1919 and graduated with an LL.

Prentice Cooper was admitted to the bar in 1922 and began practice in Shelbyville.

Prentice Cooper left the house after one term and was elected district attorney of the state's Eighth Judicial District in 1925.

Prentice Cooper later served as a city attorney for Shelbyville.

In 1936 Prentice Cooper was elected to the Tennessee Senate, representing Bedford, Coffee, and Moore counties.

Prentice Cooper spent thousands of dollars on ads to boost Cooper's image and assail Browning, and Cooper won the nomination, 231,852 votes to 158,854.

Constitutional term limits prevented Prentice Cooper from seeking reelection in 1944.

Prentice Cooper coordinated the establishment of draft boards, organized a state guard to replace the National Guard, and established a model Home Food Supply Program.

Prentice Cooper was not informed of the purpose of the project.

Prentice Cooper increased aid to the elderly, established a system of tuberculosis hospitals, and acquired land for state parks and state forests.

Prentice Cooper cut the state payroll and placed taxes on alcohol, and he managed to reduce the state debt by $21 million.

In January 1941, a Prentice Cooper-supported bill calling for a repeal of the state's poll tax was introduced in the state legislature but was defeated.

In 1946, Prentice Cooper was appointed US Ambassador to Peru by President Harry Truman.

Prentice Cooper convinced Peru to repay an outstanding loan to the United States and had a reputation as a frugal entertainer.

An Argentine newspaper accused Prentice Cooper of inciting a rebellion by APRA members in Callao in October 1948, but Prentice Cooper adamantly denied any involvement.

Prentice 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.

Prentice 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.

Since Prentice Cooper was a bachelor during his tenure as governor, his mother served as the state's first lady.

Prentice Cooper's house stands in Shelbyville and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.