Robert Elbert Cooper Sr. (October 14, 1920 – July 10, 2016) was an American judge. He was a justice of the

Tennessee Supreme Court The Tennessee Supreme Court is the ultimate judicial tribunal of the state of Tennessee. Roger A. Page is the Chief Justice. Unlike other states, in which the state attorney general is directly elected or appointed by the governor or state leg ...

from 1974 until his retirement in 1990. Cooper was born in

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, it also extends into Marion County, Tennessee, Marion County on its west ...

, and attended the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sys ...

(1946) and

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

(1949). He was the chairman of the Tennessee Judicial Council and served on the Sixth Judicial Circuit (1953–1960) and

Tennessee Court of Appeals The Tennessee Court of Appeals (in case citation, Tenn. Ct. App.) was created in 1925 by the Tennessee General Assembly as an intermediate appellate court to hear appeals in civil cases from the Tennessee state trial courts. Appeals of judgments ...

(1960–1974). Robert E. Cooper Sr. died on July 10, 2016, at his home on

Signal Mountain, Tennessee Signal Mountain is a town in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The town is a suburb of Chattanooga and is located on Walden Ridge. "Signal Mountain" is used as a colloquial name for the part of Walden Ridge close to the town. The town ...

, following a brief illness.Obituary, "Robert Elbert Cooper," Chattanoogan.com, Chattanooga, TN., published Monday, July 11th, 2016

/ref> His son,

Robert E. Cooper Jr. Robert Elbert Cooper Jr. (born January 19, 1957) is an American lawyer who served as Attorney General of the state of Tennessee. A Democrat, Cooper Jr. was appointed by the state supreme court to that position and was sworn in as the 26th Attorn ...

, is the former

Attorney General of Tennessee The Tennessee Attorney General (officially, Attorney General and Reporter) is a position within the Tennessee state government. The Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer and lawyer for Tennessee. The current office holder is Jonat ...

, serving from 2006 until 2014.

References

1920 births 2016 deaths Lawyers from Chattanooga, Tennessee University of North Carolina alumni Vanderbilt University alumni Justices of the Tennessee Supreme Court People from Signal Mountain, Tennessee 20th-century American judges {{Tennessee-state-judge-stub