A visitation service will be held Wednesday for the late J. Gary Cooper, a Mobilian who became the the first Black officer in the Marine Corps to lead an infantry company into combat and who later had a distinguished career in politics, including service as a U.S. Ambassador.
According to information provided by Cooper's family, Maj. Gen. Jerome Gary Cooper, USMC (Ret.), died on the morning of Saturday, April 27. He was born Oct. 2, 1936, in Lafayette, La., and was 87 at the time of his death.
The Mobile County Commission expressed condolences to Cooper's family with a statement that read, in part: “Major General Cooper, commemorated on a mural in downtown Mobile, was a difference-maker and a man of many firsts. He was the first African American officer to lead an infantry unit (Vietnam War) and he was the first African American Marine Corps officer to achieve the rank of General. His illustrious career as a soldier, commander, state legislator, national military leader, international diplomat, and local businessman changed lives and paved the way for many. He will be sorely missed.”
Cooper grew up in Mobile and graduated from Most Pure Heart of Mary School. He attended college at Notre Dame, where he joined the ROTC. After graduating with a degree in finance in 1958, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Corps and served on active duty for 12 years. That period included combat duty in Vietnam, where,…
