Kentucky Politics: John Sherman Cooper

Listen to the featured interview and write down some of the keywords or topics discussed.

What does this interview tell you about Kentucky and its population during the mid-twentieth century?

Describe Cooper's work on the Senate Agricultural committee. What were Cooper's main contributions to Kentucky in terms of agriculture?

In this interview, Cooper discusses some of his work on the Senate Agricultural Committee, including securing tobacco price supports, which benefitted the numerous small acreage tobacco farmers in Kentucky.

Despite being interested in foreign policy issues, Cooper was also very mindful of the concerns voiced by his constituents. Cooper was a member of the Senate Committee on Public Works and the Environment and the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry. Cooper upheld and supported legislation for rural electrification through the REA (Rural Electrification Administration), the self-financing of TVA, and tobacco price supports.

Please click on the segment at 1:20:40 (Tobacco/Agricultural committee).