Jerry Wayne Cooper (born August 6, 1948, died March 21, 2020, in McMinnville) was a Tennessee Democratic politician and a former member of the Tennessee Senate for the 14th district, which encompasses Franklin, Bledsoe, Coffee, Grundy, Sequatchie, Van Buren, and Warren counties.
[2] Jerry Cooper attended public schools in McMinnville and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 1970.
Earlier, Cooper had been cleared in an ethics probe by senators Joe M. Haynes and Steve Southerland, saying a state senator getting state approved money to improve property violated no ethics rules.
[11] In February 2007, the Tennessee Department of Safety obtained a warrant in Rutherford County, charging Cooper with driving under the influence (DUI) and speeding.
The charges resulted from an investigation into an early February 2007 automobile crash which involved Senator Cooper on Interstate 24 during Cooper's journey home after a night when he attended three legislative receptions at which alcoholic beverages were served.
It was later revealed that Cooper's blood alcohol concentration was over two times the legal limit at 0.18.
[12] The state Registry of Election Finance wanted Jerry Cooper to appear at its November 2007 meeting to address a complaint filed by the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, which alleged he had transferred nearly $100,000 in campaign funds to a personal account.