Liberian judge (1940–2023)
Henry Reed Cooper (3 September 1940 – 24 August 2023) was a Liberian judge. He served as Chief Justice of Liberia from 2003 to 2006, during the Gyude Bryant transitional government, following the Second Liberian Civil War .
Early life and career
Henry Reed Cooper was born on 3 September 1940 in Monrovia .[ 1] He was a Congo person .[ 2] His father was Jesse Reed Cooper, director of the Liberia Telecommunications Corporation . He attended St. Patrick's Elementary School, and received a high school education from the College of West Africa , graduating in 1960. He graduated first from the University of Liberia and then earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law . He later earned a master's in law from the University of Pennsylvania Law School .[ 1]
Career
Early in his career, Cooper worked at the Department of State under J. Rudolph Grimes . As a lawyer, he became a partner at the law office Bright, Cooper & Simpson Law Office, later known as Cooper & Togbah Law Office. He was a member of the Liberia Bar Association.[ 1]
Cooper served as Chief Justice of Liberia from 2003 to 2006, during the Gyude Bryant transitional government.[ 3] After retiring as Chief Justice, he continued to work for Cooper & Togbah Law Office.[ 1]
In 2013, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf appointed Cooper as Acting Mayor of Monrovia after Mayor Mary Broh resigned.[ 3]
Personal life and death
His wife was Annie Nadu Cooper. Together, they had four children.[ 1]
Cooper died at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Monrovia, on 24 August 2023, at the age of 82.[ 1] [ 3]
References
^ a b c d e f "Liberia: Henry Reed Cooper, Former Chief Justice of Liberia, Dies at 82" . Liberian Observer . August 25, 2023. Archived from the original on August 28, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023 .
^ Tipoteh, Togba-Nah (August 28, 2023). "A Legal Luminary, Cllr. Henry Reed Cooper, Passes Away" . FrontPage Africa . Retrieved August 28, 2023 .
^ a b c Dodoo, Lennart (August 25, 2023). "Cllr. Henry Reed Cooper, Former Chief Justice of Liberia Is Dead" . FrontPage Africa . Retrieved August 28, 2023 .
† denotes transitional Chief Justice