John Lewis Cooper (1908–1961) was a Liberian businessman and government official who was responsible for the telecommunications developments in

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

during the presidency of

William Tubman William Vacanarat Shadrach Tubman (29 November 1895 – 23 July 1971) was a Liberian politician. He was the 19th president of Liberia and the longest-serving president in the country's history, serving from 1943 Liberian general election, his e ...

. He was married to Eugenia Simpson. They had four children, three natural born and one adopted. John Lewis Jr, Julius Everett Sr., Ora and Elenora.

Early life

John Lewis Cooper was born in

Monrovia, Liberia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As th ...

to Reverend Randolph Cassius Cooper I and Sarah Ellen Cooper, née Morris.

Education

John Lewis Cooper studied at the

College of West Africa The College of West Africa is a Methodist high school in Monrovia, Liberia. The school was opened in 1839 (as the "Monrovia Seminary"), making it one of the oldest European-style schools in Africa. It has produced many of Liberia's leaders. Alumni ...

and

Liberia College The University of Liberia (UL or LU in older versions of abbreviation) is a publicly funded institution of higher learning located in Monrovia, Liberia. Authorized by the national government in 1851, the university opened in 1862 as Liberia Coll ...

Career and government service

John Lewis was instrumental in the establishment of radio and electricity throughout rural Liberia. He held the cabinet portfolio for telecommunications in Liberia and was decorated for his service to his country.

Death

John Lewis Cooper died in 1961 in

Monrovia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As the ...

Trivia

*John Lewis Cooper was popularly known as 'Radio Cooper.' *John Lewis Cooper is the paternal grandfather of journalist,

Helene Cooper Helene Cooper (born April 22, 1966) is a Liberian-born American journalist who is a Pentagon correspondent for ''The New York Times''. Before that, she was the paper's White House correspondent in Washington, D.C. She joined the ''Times'' in 2004 ...

References

*https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/146554371/john-lewis-cooper *https://liberia77.com/explore/radio-cooper-2/?tag=editors-pick {{Authority control Liberian businesspeople Americo-Liberian people People of Americo-Liberian descent 1908 births 1961 deaths Cooper family (Liberia)