Prentice Cooper

William Prentice Cooper Jr. (September 28, 1895 – May 18, 1969) was an American politician and diplomat. A conservative Democrat, he served as the 39th governor of Tennessee from 1939 to 1945. He 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. He later served as United States Ambassador to Peru (1946–1948) and chaired Tennessee's 1953 constitutional convention.

Early life Cooper was born at the home of his maternal grandparents, River Side Farmhouse, along the Duck River in Bedford County, Tennessee. He was the son of William Prentice Cooper, an attorney and businessman, and Argentine (Shofner) Cooper. He 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 the general election, he defeated the Republican candidate, Howard Baker, Sr., 210,567 votes to 83,031.

In the 1940 governor's race, Cooper defeated Knoxville inventor George Roby Dempster in the Democratic primary, and he defeated C. Arthur Bruce by a more than 2-to-1 margin in the general election.

Along with defense mobilization, Cooper increased funding for state schools and implemented a program that provided free textbooks for children in grades 1 through 3. In 1946, Cooper was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Peru by President Harry Truman. He convinced Peru to repay an outstanding loan to the United States and had a reputation as a frugal entertainer.

Prentice Cooper State Forest, located west of Chattanooga, is named for Cooper. Most of the land for the forest was acquired during Cooper's tenure as governor. Residence halls at Tennessee Tech and the University of Tennessee at Martin have also been named for Cooper. Cooper's house stands in Shelbyville and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.