Roy Asberry Cooper Jr.

Roy Asberry Cooper Jr. (March 13, 1927 – November 28, 2014) was an American lawyer, political strategist, and farmer. A Democrat, he served as a county manager for Governor Dan K. Moore and was a political advisor and campaign chair for Governor Jim Hunt, Governor J. Melville Broughton, and Skipper Bowles. He was the father of Governor Roy Cooper and District Court judge Pell Cooper.

Early life and education Cooper was born on March 13, 1927 in Nash County, North Carolina to Lois Clark Cooper and Roy Asberry Cooper, Sr. He graduated from Wake Forest University with a bachelor of science degree in 1949 and graduated from law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1956. He also served as county manager for Governor Dan K. Moore and served on the campaigns of Governor J. Melville Broughton and Skipper Bowles.

Personal life and death Cooper married Beverly Thorne Batchelor, a schoolteacher, with whom he had two children, Roy and Pell.

He was a member of the board of trustees of Nash County General Hospital and served on the board of deacons of Nashville Baptist Church in Nashville, North Carolina.

Cooper died at his home in Nashville on November 28, 2014. A funeral service was held at Nashville Baptist Church on November 30, 2014 followed by a burial service in Forest Hills Cemetery.