NASHVILLE, Tenn. — There's a bill of Governor Bill Lee's desk that would honor the the oldest serving legislator in Tennessee recorded history.
If signed by Lee, the educational facility located at the John S. Wilder Youth Development Center would be named the "Barbara Ward Cooper Education Center." Memphis representative Torrey Harris sponsored the bill.
A Memphis native, Cooper served as the Tennessee State Rep. for Shelby County District 86 for 26 years. In April 2022, Cooper was honored in Nashville as the oldest-serving state legislator.
She was first elected in 1996. She served on several state committees including the Health and Safety Committee and the Agricultural and Natural Resources Committee.
Cooper died Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022 at 93 years old.
The Shelby County Election Commission said Cooper’s name remained on the ballot after her unexpected death “as mandated by state law.”
The special election to fill the seat of the late Tennessee State Rep. Barbara Cooper in the Tennessee House of Representatives came to a close in January with Memphis social justice activist Justin J. Pearson declared the winner.
Pearson made The Root 100 list in 2022 as one of the most influential Black Americans in the country, joining the likes of Lebron James and Tyler Perry.
He has advocated for various social justice initiatives in recent years, including raising money with the Poor People's Campaign for the town of Mason, Tennessee, and advocating for the removal of coal ash from Memphis neighborhoods.