R Clarke Cooper

Early life and career

Cooper was born in New Mexico when his late father was assigned to the White Sands Missile Range. He was raised in North Florida where he attained the rank of Eagle Scout and served as student body president of Leon High School in Tallahassee, Florida and earned a Bachelor of Science in history from Florida State University. There, he was senior class president, president of Pi Kappa Phi and rowed for the men's heavy weight crew.

Immediately following graduation from FSU in 1994, Cooper joined the Washington, DC staff of Florida Republican Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. He then worked with her husband, former U.S. Attorney Dexter W. Lehtinen, as a lobbyist for the Miccosukee Tribe. During these years, Cooper become involved in Republican Party politics and campaigns including serving as a national committeeman for the Young Republicans. After serving in the George W. Bush Administration, Cooper would go back to lobbying for the Miccosukee in 2009.

In 1998, Cooper served as a field coordinator for former Florida Governor Jeb Bush's successful 1998 gubernatorial campaign against Buddy MacKay and was subsequently appointed Deputy Director of the State of Florida's Washington Office. There he was charged with advancing state interests related appropriation requests before the United States Congress and federal agencies. Cooper served on the state's negotiating team for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) alongside Governor Bush, Secretary of Environmental Protection, David Struhs and Everglades Czar, J. Allison DeFoor

Military service

While serving Governor Bush, Cooper was recruited into the U.S. Army Reserve. Cooper accepted commission as a Second Lieutenant in August 2001 at Fort Meade, Maryland. He graduated from the Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia and the Intelligence School at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. In 2004 he went to Iraq as an Army Reserve officer on active duty with Combined Joint Task Force-7 and later Multi-National Force Iraq. In Iraq, Cooper served as the Aide-de-Camp to the late Major General Charles H. Davidson IV. While Aide to Davidson, Cooper was known for actively advocating for the protection of archeological sites and artifacts, particularly the ancient city of Babylon. Cooper currently serves as a Captain for the Africa Command J-2.

Role in George W. Bush Administration

In 2001, Cooper joined the ranks of White House appointees as an Assistant Director of National Park Service where he advocated for greater access to public lands and was part of Interior Secretary Gale Norton's efforts to challenge Clinton Administration executive orders restricting use and access of public lands. During the first term of the Bush Administration, Cooper was soon called to active military duty by the Department of Defense. During the second term, Cooper served several diplomatic postings including United States Embassy in Baghdad, where as an advisor to Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, often travelled with members of Congress in the Middle East region. His final Department of State posting was at the United States Mission to the United Nations where he served as Counselor for United Nations Management & Reform and as an Alternative Representative to the United Nations Security Council.

Log Cabin Republicans

In May 2010 Cooper was elected executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans. At the time, former Governor Jeb Bush noted, "During my administration, Clarke was part of an excellent team that built improved relations with the federal government that benefited the citizens of Florida. He proved himself to be hardworking and results driven and a genuine public servant." Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman and LGBT Equality Caucus member, welcomed Cooper's election stating "I have known Clarke his entire career from when he served on my legislative staff and am thrilled to see him lead Log Cabin. I look forward to working with him to further advocate and secure equal rights for all Americans." Cooper is a registered lobbyist for the organization, which works to build a stronger, more inclusive Republican Party through the promotion of core conservative values and advocating for the freedom and equality of LGBT Americans. The 30-year-old conservative organization has state and local chapters nationwide, a full-time staff in Washington, DC, a federal political action committee and state political action committees. He advocated the need for open service before the Congress while leveraging the U.S. Supreme Court case of Log Cabin Republicans v. United States. In 2011, social conservatives took issue when Cooper was asked to join the Republican National Committee's finance committee.

In March 2012, Cooper became an op-ed columnist for the Washington Times, writing a column called "Politics and Pride," focusing on political issues from a conservative LGBT perspective.

In 2013, Cooper was a signatory to an amicus curiae brief submitted to the Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage during the Hollingsworth v. Perry case.

Awards and decorations

Military

Civilian

Personal life

Cooper belongs to St. Paul's Episcopal Parish, K Street in Washington, DC. During his time in Iraq, Cooper was known to work with The Reverend Cannon Andrew White, the Vicar of St. George's Parish in Baghdad and the Archbishop of Cantebury's Representative in Iraq. During his childhood, Cooper's mother was active in the charismatic renewal movement within the Episcopal Church of the United States.

A multi-generational Freemason, Cooper was made a Master Mason in 1997 at Federal Lodge Number 1, Free and Associated Masons. He attained the 32nd degree of the Scottish Rite in 1998.