William Prentice Cooper - The Road to Tennessee Governor, Part I (September 28, 1895-May 18, 1969)

William Prentice Cooper

Some people enter into this world, it seems, knowing where they belong; however, I was never one of them.  As the middle child of Sara Nell Davis and Kenneth Wayne Moats, I never had that sense of belonging, although logically, I should have.  On Friday, April 3, I flew to South Florida to spend the Easter holiday with my parents, siblings, and their families.  That feeling of being among strangers never seemed as prevalent as it did then while watching my family engage in their various subgroupings of conversation.   Without question, I was the unwanted outsider in the unit who had spent years congealing without me.   Yes, existing within their tightly woven group were a handful who welcomed me with open arms.   But for the most part, no beacon of light shined and welcomed me to the shore.  I'm not sure when my family became strangers to me, but I suppose that is a natural process when you exist far away and beat to a drum that is not of their beat.  My husband often references me as the forgotten child because, frequently, I am left unaware of the pivotal elements of life surrounding my family.   A few months ago, I stumbled across a photo on Fakebook containing my parents and my only two siblings standing on the new front lawn where my parents have chosen to spend their remaining years.   Immediately, I had the fleeting thought that that is how it should have always been -- just the four of them.   Perhaps, if life had granted some of their wishes, I wouldn't have spent my lifetime apologizing for being who I am or for breathing the oxygen that I have selfishly inhaled.   But I cannot change God's will for my existence.   I can only continue to accept my family as they are despite their inability to embrace others who lack the same dysfunctionalities that they do.  I'm uncertain if I will ever find that place where I belong that welcomes me despite my looming elderly age.    But, my distant cousin, Governor William Prentice Cooper, was fortunate to live a life with such knowledge of belonging and what pathway he would follow to lead him to greatness!

Riverside Farmhouse, Built by Jacob Morton Shofner.
  The house that Governor William Prentice Cooper, Jr. was born.

There was never any doubt where William Prentice Cooper Jr. belonged as a sixth-generation descendant of John Shofner, one of the original settlers in Duck River, Bedford County, Tennessee, 150 years before Prentice's birth.   Born on a warm, humid night on September 28, 1895, to William Prentice Cooper I and Argentine Shofner, Prentice made his arrival into the world in his family's Queen-Anne farmhouse atop a knoll off Normandy Road just five miles east of Shelbyville, Tennessee [1-30].  Prentice, a serious-minded little boy, grew up exploring his family's vast farming acreage that held whispers of his lineage [28-29].   While roaming the land beneath his feet on his family's farm, a constant reminder of his lineage's prominence in society, Prentice developed an appreciation for nature and sparked a deep love for birds [28-29].    But when he wasn't wandering the hills around him, Prentice did what most little boys did by playing football and baseball with his friends and cousins [28-29].   Because tragically, there would be no siblings for Prentice to play with since his little sister, Mildred, born on September 29, 1898, passed away on October 10, 1898, surviving only eleven short days [31]. 

William Prentice Cooper
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee

When the time came for Prentice to begin school, his father placed him on the back of a horse and sent him off to the one-room schoolhouse in Butler's Creek, two and a half miles away from his home [28].   However, Prentice only attended school for one term there [28].   Soon afterward, his parents moved the three of them to Shelbyville, where they enrolled Prentice into Tate School, a newly opened private school [28].   Despite his youth, Prentice had set three goals for himself.    He wanted to be an attorney, a statesman, and a writer when he reached adulthood [28].       His father, though, never dissuaded or encouraged Prentice in his lofty goals, stating, "Water has to find its own level [28]."   Later, Prentice's parents would send him to Webb Preparatory School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, where he graduated in 1913 [28].  While there, he studied under the guidance of a future Tennessee Senator, W.R. Sawney Webb, who Woodrow Wilson would characterize as one of "the best preparatory school educators in America" [28].  

William Prentice Cooper
Debate Team

After graduating from Bell Buckle, with Prentice's educational foundation firmly built, he enrolled at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee [28-30].   Prentice claimed that it was there that he began "working hard and earnestly" towards his dreams [28].   Wanting to lay a firm foundation for his law degree, Prentice started diligently studying writing [28-30].   He also began delving into school debates, discovering he possessed skills as a great orator [28-30].  At Vanderbilt, Prentice earned several honors, becoming the Vice President of the Freshman Class, the Secretary of the YMCA, a Phi Delta Theta member, and a Philosophic Literary Society member [28-30, 32-33].  Prentice remained at Vanderbilt for two years before transferring to Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1915 [28-30].   Prentice said he was "looking for greener pastures" or more help with his ambitions to become a writer [28.]   While there, he resumed his debating skills and won a placement on the University's debating team [28].   In 1917, completing some of his educational goals, Prentice graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree [28-30, 34-35].  

William Prentice Cooper, November 20, 1938
The Tennessean, Nashville, Tennessee, Page 29

Infamously being tagged as "the war to end all wars, World War I began on July 28, 1914 [36]."  Unfortunately, though, despite Woodrow Wilson's promise to remain neutral, it was inevitable that the United States would become involved in the world's mounting saga [37].  And on April 6, 1917, despite most Americans being against our entry into the conflict, Congress, by a vote of 82-6, declared war against Germany [37].   While Prentice worked toward his bachelor's degree at Princeton, his father served his country in the war as a Speaker of the House of Representatives for Tennessee [38].    With the world in turmoil, though, Prentice found it impossible to focus on furthering his goals [28].   While still enrolled in school but wanting to fulfill his duties in the war efforts, Prentice joined the United States Army [22-24, 28, 39-41].  After graduation, donning his newly assigned olive-green wool uniform, Prentice dutifully reported to Camp Dix in Trenton, New Jersey, where he was assigned light field artillery training in Battery E 307th Unit [22-24, 28, 39-41].   Soon afterward, however, in May 1918, Prentice was transferred to Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia, for heavy artillery at the Master Gunners' School [22-24, 28, 39-41].  Working hard, Prentice graduated from Master Gunners' School with a promoted ranking of Sergeant [22-24, 28, 39-41].   But instead of sending him overseas, the United States Army recognized Prentice's leadership abilities and assigned him to an Officers' Training Camp, where he earned another promotion to Second Lieutenant [22-24, 28, 39-41].  Luckily for Prentice, while at the Officers' Training Camp, the United States signed the Armistice, ending the war and sparing him from ever-facing combat or getting sent to France [22-24, 28, 39-40].   So, with the war ended and the world at peace again, on January 23, 1919, Prentice received an honorable discharge from the army, ending his military service permanently [22-24, 28, 39-40]. 

William Prentice Cooper
Law Club, Princeton, University

With the war over, Prentice, again, directed his attention towards obtaining his dreams.   Enrolling at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he earned his LLB and graduated in 1921 [28-29].  A year later, in 1922, after his admission into the Tennessee Bar, he returned to Shelbyville, where he began a partnership with his father, opening offices across the street from the courthouse [28-29, 40-41, 44].  Eventually, they will expand their business to include an office in Lewisburg [28-29, 40-41].    That same year, Prentice is elected to serve on a post overseeing the James A. Tater Jr. School, his alma mater [42].  Soon, Prentice received his first accolades as an attorney by becoming the City Attorney for Shelbyville and Lewisburg, where his law practice had offices [41].  

William Prentice Cooper

Prentice had already achieved one of his dreams, becoming an attorney like his father.   Failing to waste time pursuing the second part of his goals, he immediately set out to become a statesman, following along in his father's footsteps again.  In May 1922, he formally announced his run as a candidate to represent Bedford County in the next General Assembly of Tennessee [43].  Prentice defeated his opponent, J. T. Hutson, a well-known surveyor in Bedford, winning his first political office [28-29, 30, 37-49].  However, when Prentice tried to replicate his father's success as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, he was unsuccessful, facing his first political defeat [28-29, 30, 37-49].  Prentice said of the loss, "I shouldn't have expected more, for I was one of the three youngest members of the house [28-29, 30, 37-49]."  But Prentice didn't have to be the Speaker to claim accomplishments during his first and only term as a Representative [28-29, 30, 37-49].   As Chairman of the Uniform Laws Committee, he secured the Uniform Declaratory Judgment Act [28-29, 30, 37-49].   It was an act that enabled Tennesseans to enter court before sustaining wrongdoing, and it also allowed for the testing of the constitutionality of a law before any grievances occurred to an injured party [28-29, 30, 37-49].  During Prentice's term, he also assisted in passing Tennessee's first law in aeronautics [28-29, 30, 37-49].  But Prentice disagreed vehemently with increasing the number of members on the board of elections and used his voice to object to the passing of its bill, arguing "it is nothing more than an attempt to secure for a certain faction the absolute control of the election machinery of Tennessee [28-29, 30, 37-49]."   Prentice served as a Representative from 1922-1924 [28-29, 30, 37-49].

William Prentice Cooper

After serving his term as Representative, Prentice decidedly returned to private practice [28-29].   However, that would not last for long.  His next ambitious political quest was as the Attorney General for the 8th judicial circuit, replacing retiring Hoyte Stewart, who had been currently presiding [28-29, 50-56].  Prentice won the Attorney General position, garnishing a net of 1000 votes over his opponent, Clarence Cummins [28-29, 50-56].   According to Bedford Sheriff Ben Robinson, "He started more men to the death chair than anyone who had served time in that office up to his time [28-29, 50-56]."    However, most of the ones that Prentice had successfully prosecuted had their sentences either overturned or released by gubernatorial commutations [28-29, 50-56].  In July of 1925, Prentice once again sought the Democratic endorsement for the re-election as Attorney General.  Unfortunately, this time, though, Prentice lost to his opponent, W. B. Knotts, by 900 distinguishing votes.  Afterward, Prentice returned to private practice after serving only one term between 1925 and September 1, 1926 [28-29, 50-56].   But Prentice's political ambitions were far from over, and his rise to where he knew he belonged had only begun.

William Prentice Cooper

Unlike Prentice, who always seemed to understand the pathway he was to follow, I am never sure what step is next that I must make.  When my plane began its final descent from the turbulent skies that transported me away from my family, the thought of "I am home" never crossed my mind.   My husband, Mitch, and I may reside in Bremen, Alabama, but it is also not where I belong.   I am just another unknown face with an unheard voice among the many familiar with one another.  After nearly twenty years of living here, a void still exists of any significant relationships.  But after I made my way through baggage claim and stood in the allotted place for Mitch to pick me up, I knew where exactly I wanted to be when I saw my husband driving around the corner in his maroon car that does not fit his character.  It is with him, always.  He is the one who calms the storms and the turbulence in my life.   And the moment he smiled and called me by the nickname he knows I detest, "Moatsey," the voices of negativity in my head became silenced.   My armor immediately became protectively recoated, and the sister who could not return a hug, the brother who spoke to me with disdain during our exchanges, and the nephews who only mumbled a single sentence to me could no longer hurt me.   That afternoon, Mitch and I celebrated our nineteenth anniversary and my fifty-second year of life since we had missed our special moment on April 7, which celebrates both.   I may not belong anywhere in this insane world.  But when the doors shut in our home, sealing us within, I am at peace with who I am becoming.   

Next week, Prentice's journey to becoming a Tennessee Governor continues. 

• Part II:  https://progenitorportal.blogspot.com/2024/01/william-prentice-cooper-road-to.html
• Part III:  https://progenitorportal.blogspot.com/2024/01/william-prentice-cooper.html
• Part IV:  https://progenitorportal.blogspot.com/2024/01/william-prentice-cooper_23.html

Sources:

1. Census 1900: Resided in Walnut Bottom, Henderson County, Kentucky, William 29, Argentine 27, William P. 4, William H. Cabel 38, Henry D. Carol (Servant), Forest Gilligan (Servant).
2. Year: 1900; Census Place: Walnut Bottom, Henderson, Kentucky; Page: 36; Enumeration District: 0054; FHL microfilm: 1240527
3. Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
4. Year: 1910; Census Place: Shelbyville, Bedford, Tennessee; Roll: T624_1490; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 0010; FHL microfilm: 1375503
5. Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.
6. Census 1910: Resided in Shelbyville, Bedford County, Tennessee, USA: William 40, Argie 37, Prentice 34, Morton King (Nephew) 22.
7. Census 1920: Resided in Shelbyville, Bedford County, Tennessee, USA: William P. 48, Argie 45, Prentice 20
8. Year: 1920; Census Place: Shelbyville, Bedford, Tennessee; Roll: T625_1728; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 10
9. Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
10. Census 1930: Resided in Shelbyville, Bedford County, Tennessee, USA: William P. 60, Argentine 57, W. Prentice 34.
11. Year: 1930; Census Place: Shelbyville, Bedford, Tennessee; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 0011; FHL microfilm: 2341967
12. Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.
13.  Census 1940: Resided in Shelbyville, Bedford County, Tennessee, USA: William P. 69, Argie 67, W. Prentice 44
14. Minnesota Department of Health; St Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota, Death Index, 1908-2017
15. Ancestry.com. Minnesota, U.S., Death Index, 1908-2017 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2001.
16. Original data: State of Minnesota. Minnesota Death Index, 1908-2017. Minneapolis, MN, USA: Minnesota Department of Health.
17. Ancestry.com. U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
18. Original data: Find a Grave. Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi.
19. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11261042/william-prentice-cooper
20. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
21. Original data: United States, Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls. Imaged from Family History Library microfilm.
22. Ancestry.com. U.S., Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT. USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2019.
23. Original data: United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2019.
24. Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917 - 9/16/1940. NAI 76193916. Record Group 15: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 1773 - 2007. National Archives at St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.
25. Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File
26. Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2014.
27. Original data: Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index, Master File. Social Security Administration.
28. Smith, Charles W. ,“Tennessee’s New Governor Early Set Three Goals To Achieve-To Be A Lawyer, Become A Statesman, and Find Time To Write,” 1938, November 20, The Tennessean, Nashville, Tennessee, Page 29.
29. McGill, George W. , “Prentice Cooper Asks Team To Let Him Use His Horse “Horse Sense” In Governor Chair-Keeps Busy Two Law Offices, Active In Legion,” 1938, March 5, The Chattanooga News, Chattanooga, Tennessee, Page 5
30. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prentice_Cooper
31.  https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/202618604/mildred-cooper
32. "U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: Vanderbilt University; Year: 1915
33. Ancestry.com. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-1999 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
34. "U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: Princeton University; Year: 1918
35.  "U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: Princeton University; Year: 1919
36.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I/
37. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/america-enters-world-war-i
38. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Prentice_Cooper
39. https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Prentice_Cooper
40. https://www.nga.org/governor/william-prentice-cooper/
41.  https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/william-prentice-cooper-jr/
42. “Officers Elected By Shelbyville Legion,” 1922, February 3, The Tennessean, Nashville, Tennessee, Page 8.
43. “Prentice Cooper For Representative,” 1922, May 26, Nashville, Banner, Nashville, Tennessee, Page 24.
44. “Eight Young Local Attorneys Authorized To Hang Shingles-Class of 57 Admitted to the Bar By The State Board of Law Examiners At Chattanooga,” 1923, March 6, The Tennessean, Nashville, Tennessee, Page 1.
45. “Prentice Cooper For Representative,” 1922, May 26, Nashville Banner, Nashville, Tennessee, Page 24.
46. “W.B. Pearson Enters For State Senate,” 1922, July 7, Nashville Banner, Nashville, Tennessee, Page 7.
47. “24 Democratic State Senators: 79 In House Of Representatives-In Greene County He And Allen Both Claim Canvass-Will Show Election-Close Race In 12th Floteral District,” 1922, November 11, Knoxville Sentinel, Knoxville, Tennessee, Page 4.
48. “Legislative Candidates Getting Busy In Bedford,” 1922, June 11, The Tennessean, Nashville, Tennessee, page 1.
49. Perry, Ralph H. “Bitter Opposition To Enlarging State Board Of Elections-Bill Characterized As An Attempt To Secure For A Certain Faction The Absolute Control Of The Election Machinery of Tennessee,” 1923, March 23, The Bristol Herald Courier, Bristol, Tennessee, Page 1.
50. “Prentice Cooper Wins Nomination-Shelbyville Lawyer To Succeed Hoyte Stewart As Attorney General,” 1924, July 13, Nashville Banner, Nashville, Tennessee, Page 30.
51.  “Circuit Court Opens,” 1924, September 4, Nashville Banner, Nashville, Tennessee, Page 14.
52. “Returns In Race For Attorney General,” 1924, July 14, Nashville Banner, Nashville, Tennessee, Page 9
53. “Marshall County Gets Visits From Candidates,” 1924, July 28, The Tennessean, Nashville, Tennessee, Page 5.
54. “Greer For Delegate,” 1924, May 19, Nashville Banner, Nashville, Tennessee, Page 4.
55.  “News Of The Day,” 1924, July 11, The Tennessean, Nashville, Tennessee, Page 4.
56. “Edwin Nance May Enter Race In Eighth-Two Shelbyville Attorneys General Position,” 1924, January 29, The Tennessean, Nashville, Tennessee, Page 6
57.  “General Prentice Cooper Makes Announcement-Loyal Young Democrat Asks Endorsement For Re-election As Attorney General,” 1925, July 17, Smyrna Weekly Review, Smyrna, Tennessee, page 1.
58. “Judge Committee of Eighth To Meet,” 1925, January 15, Nashville Banner, Nashville, Tennessee, Page 6.
59. “Interest Aroused In Knott-Cooper Race,” 1925, August 13, Nashville Banner, Nashville, Tennessee, Page 18.
60. “Will Try Minister On Charge of Arson, “ 1925, December 8, Chattanooga Times, Chattanooga, Tennessee, Page 2.
61. Hedgecoth’s Alleged Slayer Gets Change of Venue-Other Cases,” 1925, June 12, Nashville Banner, Nashville, Tennessee, Page 16.
62. “State Insists On Minister’s Trial-Defendant Accused Of Burning School House-Plans To Seek Damages,” 1925, December 8, The Knoxville Journal, Knoxville, Tennessee, Page 18.
63. “Defeats Cooper,” 1925, August 30, The Tennessean, Nashville, Tennessee, Page 9.