Interview with John Sherman Cooper, May 16, 1982

Interview Summary

John Sherman Cooper begins the interview by detailing his relationship with the Louisville Courier-Journal. Cooper then talks of Louisville Courier-Journal reporter Robert Riggs. Cooper expresses his admiration for Congressman John Robison. The interviewee talks of the coverage he received from the Courier-Journal during his first term in the Senate (1946-1948). Cooper describes his and Joseph McCarthy's time spent as freshman Senators. Cooper's work on the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Committee on the District of Colombia is explored. Cooper also discusses the press, politics, and popularity through his career. Cooper mentions specific events to demonstrate his devotion to labor and agricultural issues, especially coal mining and tobacco and commodities. Cooper details the 1948 presidential election and his own campaign that year. Cooper also talks of Virgil Chapman. Cooper's divorce from his first wife is considered. How the Courier-Journal viewed Cooper during the late 1940s is discussed. Cooper's role in U.S. foreign policy in the late 1940s and early 1950s is assessed. The 1952 presidential election is mentioned. The interviewee articulates how the Courier-Journal treated him in the 1950s. In 1952, President Eisenhower came to Kentucky to endorse Cooper in his senatorial campaign. The interview ends with mentions of Cooper's impressions of various campaigns (1954 and 1956) and his relations with the media and media personalities.

Interview Keyword

Augustus Owsley Stanley Chapman Revercomb E. H. Moore Flem D. Sampson Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. James Forrestal Millard Tydings Pat McCarran Robert Bingham Barry Bingham Sr. Bob Humphrey Christian Scientist Communist Party U.S. Congress Edwin P. Morrow 5th congressional district (Kentucky) John Y. Brown Sr. John Robison Senate Judiciary Committee Louisville Courier-Journal Virgil Chapman Joseph McCarthy Eleanor Roosevelt New York Times Harry S Truman Franklin D. Roosevelt Robert Riggs Segregation Arthur Vandenberg Tim Lee Carter Senate Committee on the District of Columbia Commodities Dwight Eisenhower Richard Harwood World War II

Interview LC Subject

Cooper, John Sherman, 1901-1991 Cooper, John Sherman, 1901-1991--Interviews Politicians Politicians--United States Politics and government United States--Politics and government Washington (D.C.) Kentucky Kentuckians New York Times Death World War, 1939-1945 United Nations Labor unions Tobacco Divorce Newspapers

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.