Obituaries: William Franklin Cooper, 1945, Winn Parish, LA
Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483
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From: February 8, 1945 Winn Parish Enterprise

Former Mayor of Winnfield Dies In Monroe Monday

William Franklin Cooper, 72, former member of the Louisiana Highway Commission
and construction engineer for the commission in Monroe for the past two years,
died Monday in a Monroe sanitarium.  He was stricken Wednesday of last week
with pneumonia.

Mr. Cooper was one of the state's most colorful civil engineers.  He located
two railroads within the state and for the past quarter century had been
active with the highway commission.

A graduate of Louisiana State University, class of 1896, Mr. Cooper, with
Ruffin Pleasant, a cousin who later became governor of the state, was
instrumental in the organization of the first band at L. S. U., where he was a
member of the Kappa Sigman fraternity.  He graduated as the ranking cadet
officer of his class.

One of his early engineering ventures was the locating of the Rock Island
railroad from Junction City to Winnfield, and he also surveyed and planned the
route of the Louisiana and Arkansas Railroad from Winnfield to Rinehart.

Born at Shiloh, northwest of Monroe on Nov. 5, 1872, Mr. Cooper was the oldest
living employee of the Louisiana Highway Commission.  He was first employed by
the old department of highways which was under the supervision of the
Louisiana State Board of Engineers during the administration of Governor
Pleasant.

He served as state highway engineer, vice chairman of the Louisiana Highway
Commission, construction engineer, locating engineer, and maintenance engineer
for the commission.

He was active in Masonic circles as a Shriner and 32nd degree Mason.  He was
former Worshipful Master of the Winnfield Lodge.

Winnfield was Mr. Cooper's former home from 1900 until 1912 during which time
he served as mayor of the town.  He was also engaged in the hardware business
here.

Funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon in Monroe with the Rev. E. F.
Hayward, rector of Grace Episcopal Church, officiating.  Burial was at Bernice
with Masons in charge of rites at the grave.

Surviving relatives are his wife, the former Miss Margaret McBee of Clinton;
four children, William Earl Cooper, Miami, Fla., W. Franklin Cooper, Jr.,
Camden, Ark., Mrs. J. M. McGuinness, formerly of Monroe but now of Kansas
City, and Cpl. MacBee Cooper, stationed with the army at Del Rio, Tex.; two
brothers, J. R. Heard and C. P. Heard, Winnfield; and two sisters, Mrs. M. W.
Lawrence, Bernice, and Mrs. C. F. Dleishel, Spring City, Tenn.