Interview with John Sherman Cooper, May 18, 1981

Project: John Sherman Cooper Oral History Project

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Interview Summary

The interview begins with some discussion of events from the Eisenhower administration such as the Lincoln Sesquicentennial Celebration, TVA funding, the Railroad Retirement Act, and Sherman Adams. Cooper talks of speeches he made on the commemoration of a Henry Clay statue for the Pan American Union and the commencement address for Howard University. The interviewee recalls a study he commissioned on a new brand of cigarettes in 1959. The gubernatorial race in 1959 is also mentioned. Cooper then discusses the missile gap controversy of 1959-1960. The failed appointment of Louis Strauss as Secretary of Commerce and the seniority rule in the Senate are explored. Returning to the Senate after his ambassadorship to India, Cooper went to the Agricultural Committee from the Labor Committee. Cooper believed that he could accomplish more for Kentucky through this committee. Cooper remembers the U-2 spy plane incident, with regret. Cooper relays his experiences with the 1960 Republican primary. The interviewee then gives a history of gubernatorial races in Kentucky from the 1930s to the 1960s. Cooper's role in the 1960 Republican National Convention is described. To conclude the interview, Cooper relates his thoughts on the 1960 presidential election.

Interview Accession

1981oh059_coop041

Interviewee Name

John Sherman Cooper

Interviewer Name

William Cooper

Interview Date

1981-05-18

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.

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Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

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Cooper, John Sherman Interview by William Cooper. 18 May. 1981. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.

Cooper, J.S. (1981, May 18). Interview by W. Cooper. John Sherman Cooper Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.

Cooper, John Sherman, interview by William Cooper. May 18, 1981, John Sherman Cooper Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.





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Persistent Link for this Record: https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt7pg44hqc58