John Cooksey
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John Cooksey | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromLouisiana's5thdistrict | |
In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2003 | |
Preceded by | Cleo Fields(Redistricting) |
Succeeded by | Rodney Alexander |
Personal details | |
Born | John Charles Cooksey August 20, 1941 Alexandria, Louisiana,U.S. |
Died | June 4, 2022 Columbia, Louisiana,U.S. | (aged 80)
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Ann Grabill |
Children | 3 |
Education | Louisiana State University(BS,MD) University of Texas at Austin(MBA) |
John Charles Cooksey(August 20, 1941 – June 4, 2022) was an Americanophthalmologistand politician who served as aRepublicanmember of theUnited States House of RepresentativesforLouisiana's 5th congressional districtfrom 1997 to 2003.
Early life and education
[edit]Cooksey was born inAlexandriainRapides ParishinCentral Louisiana.He graduated from La Salle High School inOllainLaSalle Parish,where his father operated asawmill.He attendedLouisiana State UniversityinBaton Rougeand received hisM.D.degree from theLSU Health Sciences Center New Orleansin 1966. In 1994, he received aMaster of Business Administrationfrom theUniversity of Texas at Austin.From 1967 until 1969, he served in theUnited States Air Force,where he was stationed inTexasandThailand.He served in theAir Force Reservefrom 1969 until 1972.
Career
[edit]Cooksey was elected to Congress in 1996 and represented Louisiana's Fifth District for three terms, traditionally based in the northeastern quadrant of the state about Monroe, but since reconfigured to reach deep intoSouth Louisianaas well. Cooksey first won the seat by defeatingDemocraticstate legislatorFrancis C. ThompsonofDelhiinRichland Parish.Cooksey had edged past formerU.S. RepresentativeClyde C. HollowayofForest Hillin Rapides Parish in thenonpartisan blanket primary.In that campaign, Cooksey pledged to serve no more than three terms in the House, a pledge that he kept.[1]
In2002,Cooksey was an unsuccessful candidate in the Republican primary for theUnited States Senateseat held until 2015 by DemocratMary Landrieu.In that campaign, Cooksey made a derogatory remark aboutArabs— comparingturbansandkeffiyehsto diapers fastened by fan belts[2]— which was attacked by his opponents asracist.He never overcame the blunder. In the November general election, the losing Republican candidate was Cooksey's intra-party rival,Suzanne Haik TerrellofNew Orleans.
In addition to the reelection of Landrieu, the Democrats temporarily regained Cooksey's House seat in the same general election balloting.
Personal life
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/John_Cooksey_with_his_family.jpg/220px-John_Cooksey_with_his_family.jpg)
After his Senate campaign, Cooksey retired from politics and resumed his medical practice. He and his wife, the former Ann Grabill (born 1943), had three children. He wasMethodistand a member ofLambda Chi Alphafraternity.
Cooksey died inColumbia, Louisianaon June 4, 2022, at the age of 80.[3]
References
[edit]- ^"Term-limits: as the pledges come home to roost".Archived fromthe originalon July 24, 2008.RetrievedAugust 16,2006.
- ^Hitchens, Christopher (September 11, 2006)."Fear Factor".Slate.ISSN1091-2339.RetrievedAugust 13,2018.
- ^"Former Louisiana Congressman dies Saturday".WBRZ.June 4, 2022.RetrievedJune 4,2022.
External links
[edit]- United States Congress."John Cooksey (id: C000735)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Vote 2002 profileArchivedNovember 5, 2012, at theWayback Machine,PBS
- Congress freshmen 1997 profile,CNN
- AppearancesonC-SPAN
- 1941 births
- 2022 deaths
- 20th-century American physicians
- 20th-century American politicians
- 21st-century American physicians
- 21st-century American politicians
- American ophthalmologists
- Candidates in the 2002 United States elections
- Louisiana State University alumni
- McCombs School of Business alumni
- Methodists from Louisiana
- Military personnel from Louisiana
- Physicians from Louisiana
- Politicians from Alexandria, Louisiana
- Politicians from Monroe, Louisiana
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana
- United States Air Force airmen
- United States Air Force reservists