South Carolina Governors – Robert Archer Cooper, 1919-1922

Biographical Overview

• Born: June 12, 1874 in Waterloo Township, Laurens County, SC
  
• Died: August 7, 1953
  
• Buried: Laurens City Cemetery, section 1B
• Religion: Baptist
  
• Political Party: Democratic
  

Education

• Polytechnic Institute - San German, Puerto Rico
  

Occupation

• Lawyer

Major Events and Accomplishments, 1st term, 1919–1921

• 1919 – The boll weevil destroyed the Sea Island cotton crop, marking the end of commercial cotton growth in the Sea Islands
  
• 1920 – An agricultural depression began
  
• April 21, 1920 – The Society for the Preservation of Old Dwellings held its first meeting
  
• August 26, 1920 – The Nineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution extended suffrage to women, but South Carolina did not ratify the Amendment until 1969
  

Major Events and Accomplishments, 2nd term, 1921–1922

• March 15, 1922 – The General Assembly passed legislation setting the maximum length of the work day for textile mills to ten hours and the maximum length of the work week for textile mills to fifty-five hours
  
• May 20, 1922 – Governor Cooper resigned to become a member of the Federal Farm Loan Board
  

Other Government Positions

• South Carolina House of Representatives, 1900-1904
  
• Federal Farm Loan Board, 1922-1927
  
• US District Judge for Puerto Rico, 1934-1947
  

Other Accomplishments, Honors, Distinctions

Election Results

• On November 5, 1918, Cooper was elected to his first term without opposition, receiving 25,267 votes.
  
• On November 2, 1920, Governor Cooper was reelected without opposition, receiving 58,050 votes.

Web Resources

• Listing of records available at SC Archives and History Center