[3] Cooper graduated in 1957 from Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington D.C.[4] In 1961 he received his bachelor′s degree summa cum laude from Princeton University, where he wrote his senior thesis under the supervision of David Herbert Donald.
"[5] Cooper began his teaching career at Wellesley College, serving as an assistant professor of history from 1965 to 1970.
To that end, he taught introductory and upper division courses on Gilded Age and Twentieth Century America as well as graduate seminars in U.S. political history.
Some historians may make their way mainly out of a sense of obligation or duty, but I think being attracted to a subject for its own sake brings vigor and insight.
[12] He also served as a program advisor for the award-winning Ken Burns documentary The Roosevelts, which aired nationally on PBS in 2014.