Homer Vernon Cooper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Homer Vernon Cooper
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H.V. Cooper, circa 1960
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| Member of the Mississippi State Senate from the 12th district |
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| In office January 19, 1960 – December 31, 1963 |
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| Preceded by | Hayden Campbell |
| Succeeded by | Ellis B. Bodron (13th) |
| Constituency | Warren and Hinds Counties |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Homer Vernon Cooper
May 12, 1890 Tallassee, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | June 22, 1968 (aged 78) Vicksburg, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | Fronie Lee Basinger Cooper Annie Laurie Griffin Cooper |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Southern Christian College (AAeD) Mississippi State University (BS) University of Virginia (MS) |
| Profession | educator school superintendent |
| Nickname | H.V. Cooper |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1926–1929 |
| Rank |  Captain |
| Unit | Mississippi Army National Guard 155th Infantry Regiment |
Homer Vernon Cooper (May 12, 1890 – June 22, 1968) was an American politician and a well-known school leader. He served as a State Senator for Mississippi's 12th District from 1960 to 1964. This district included Warren and Hinds Counties. He was a member of the Democratic Party.
As a school administrator, Cooper was famous across Mississippi and even nationally. He believed in keeping schools separate for different races, which was against the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education. He was also part of the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission, a group that worked to keep segregation in Mississippi.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Homer Vernon Cooper was born on May 12, 1890, in Elmore County, Alabama. He grew up on a farm and was the fifth of eight children. He went to elementary school in Eclectic, Alabama. Later, his family moved to Mississippi, where he finished high school in 1908 at Toccopola College School in Toccopola, Mississippi.
Career in Education and Public Service
H.V. Cooper became an important leader in Mississippi education when he was 22 years old. From 1912 to 1915, he worked as a teacher and principal at Cedar Bluff Elementary School. During this time, he also studied at Southern Christian College and earned his Associate of Arts degree in Education in 1915.
He taught social science at Kilmichael High School from 1917 to 1918. In 1920, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Mississippi State University. He also taught there in 1919. Cooper then became a Superintendent of Schools in Ackerman (1920-1922), Magnolia (until 1924), and Kosciusko (until 1931).
During his time in Kosciusko, Cooper served in the Mississippi National Guard from 1926 to 1929. He was a Captain in the 155th Infantry Regiment. He also continued his education, earning a Master of Science degree in Education from the University of Virginia in 1932. His master's thesis about public education was often mentioned in other publications.
After finishing his graduate studies, Cooper became the Superintendent of Schools in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He held this job for 29 years until he retired in 1960 at age 70. After retiring, he worked as a guidance counselor at All Saints' College (Vicksburg). He was also a leader in many education groups, including the Mississippi Education Association and the NEA.
Cooper was also a well-known community leader in Vicksburg. He was president and district governor of Rotary International. He was also a member of the Masons and Shriners.
Mississippi State Senator (1960-1964)
In 1960, at age 70, H.V. Cooper became a State Senator for Mississippi's 12th District. This district included Warren and Hinds counties, which are home to the cities of Vicksburg and Jackson. Cooper was well-known in the area because of his long career in education.
He worked on many important committees in the Senate. He was the Chairman of Municipalities and Vice-chairman of Child Welfare, Commerce and Manufacturing, and Education. He also served on committees for County Affairs, Penitentiaries, and Universities and Colleges.
Supporting Education
As someone who had worked in schools for a long time, Cooper strongly supported education in Mississippi. In March 1960, he helped pass a law that significantly increased salaries for K-12 teachers. This was very important because Mississippi's teacher salaries were much lower than in other states. He also led the creation of a major report in 1961 about the state's education system. As a senator, he often spoke out about education in Mississippi and about rules from the federal government.
Changing Legislative Districts
Cooper served one term as a senator. His district was changed in 1964 because of new laws about how legislative seats were divided. In 1962, Cooper had suggested a plan to redraw the districts to better represent the population changes in Mississippi. Because Vicksburg and Jackson had grown, each area needed its own senators. Warren County became its own district (the 13th), and Hinds County became the 1st District. The 12th District then became Sunflower County. This was the first time the districts had been redrawn since 1890.
In 1966, Cooper tried to win a seat in the state House for Warren County but was not successful.
Other Work for Mississippi
Cooper's work as a state senator also helped important projects in Vicksburg and Mississippi. In the late 1950s and 1960s, he helped get money and support to raise and restore the American ironclad warship, USS Cairo. This ship sank during the American Civil War. Cooper was appointed to lead the "War Between the States Commission" to mark the 100th anniversary of the war. He also chaired the "Operation Cairo" committee, as this historical project was very important to him as an educator and historian.
Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission
The Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission was a state group formed in 1956. Its main goal was to maintain racial segregation in Mississippi, which meant keeping Black and white people separate in schools and other public places.
Cooper was appointed to this commission in February 1959. He attended meetings and voted on things like funding for the commission's activities. The commission used state money to support policies and groups that promoted segregation. These groups included White Citizens' Councils, which were connected to the KKK.
During Cooper's time as a senator (1960-1964), he voted to double the commission's funding. The commission was very active during this period, working to prevent integration in Mississippi. The files and records of the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission were made public in March 1998.
Legacy
H.V. Cooper High School was built in 1958 and named after Homer Vernon Cooper in April 1959. This school was for white students only, as schools were segregated at the time. In the same year, Rosa A. Temple High School was built for Black students. This was done even though the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled against school segregation in 1954 with Brown v. Board of Education. Cooper strongly supported keeping schools segregated in Vicksburg. He consistently voted against integrating public schools when he represented Mississippi at the National Education Association. After new Civil Rights laws in the mid-1960s and Cooper's death in 1968, H.V. Cooper High School became integrated in 1973-1974 and was combined with Rosa A. Temple High School to become Vicksburg High School.
Personal Life, Death, and Honors
Cooper married Fronie Lee Basinger on September 18, 1912. They had two sons. Fronie passed away in 1963, and Cooper married Annie Laurie Griffin on July 30, 1965. He enjoyed playing golf and was a fan of the "Gashouse Gang" St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. Homer Vernon Cooper died at his home in Vicksburg, Mississippi, from a heart attack on June 22, 1968, when he was 78 years old.
In 1964, he received the Man of the Year Award from the Vicksburg Junior Chamber of Commerce for his contributions to the community. In 1967, Millsaps College honored him with their Citizens Award. The American Association for State and Local History also gave an Award of Merit to the Cairo project, which Cooper had led.
Cooper's oldest son, Homer Vernon Cooper Jr., was one of the first people in the U.S. to get an aeronautical engineering degree from Mississippi State University in 1937. He worked on important aircraft like the Bell X-1 and later became a lead engineer for the interior redesign of the Apollo command and service module after the Apollo tragedy. His grandchildren, Cathy Cooper and Jack Cooper, are notable artists and musicians.
