Interview with Richard Ernst Cooper, March 18, 1985

Project: John Sherman Cooper Oral History Project

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Interview Summary

Richard Cooper, a younger brother of Senator Cooper, begins the interview by detailing his childhood and background. Cooper recalls his father's illness and death and how this event affected the family. Cooper's relationship with his siblings as a child are discussed. Cooper reflects upon his brother's early political career, focusing on his run for county judge in the late 1920s. Cooper talks of his brother's role as county judge in Pulaski County during the Great Depression. Cooper also relays his experiences of the Great Depression in Pulaski County as a teenager. Cooper remembers an illness that his brother had in the 1930s. Cooper also discusses his life after high school and his university education. Cooper's experiences during his brother's 1939 gubernatorial campaign in Kentucky are examined. Cooper talks of his time spent in the U.S. Army during World War II. Senator Cooper's first wife is also mentioned. Senator Cooper's time spent as a circuit judge is examined. Cooper explains his involvement in his brother's 1946 Senatorial campaign. Additionally, Cooper illustrates the strongest supporters for his brother politically. Cooper highlights his brother's work on rural issues for Kentuckians. Cooper considers the reactions of local people in Somerset to his brother's more liberal stance on certain issues. Cooper evaluates his brother's greatest accomplishments and contributions on behalf of Kentuckians. Cooper details his and his brother's connections to Kentucky Democrats such as Happy Chandler and the Brown political family. Cooper talks of the ways in which his brother has assisted the Kentucky horse industry. Senator Cooper's personality is discussed. Cooper explains how having a famous brother has impacted his life and family. To conclude the interview, Cooper talks of a building that will be dedicated to him in Somerset.

Interview Accession

1985oh064_coop070

Interviewee Name

Richard Ernst Cooper

Interviewer Name

Richard C. Smoot

Interview Date

1985-03-18

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, Richard Ernst Interview by Richard C. Smoot. 18 Mar. 1985. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.

Cooper, R.E. (1985, March 18). Interview by R. C. Smoot. John Sherman Cooper Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.

Cooper, Richard Ernst, interview by Richard C. Smoot. March 18, 1985, John Sherman Cooper Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.





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