Roger M. Cooper is a Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

 politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 and a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives

Minnesota House of Representatives

The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house in the Minnesota State Legislature. There are 134 members elected to two-year terms, twice the number of members in the Minnesota Senate. Each senate district is divided in half and given the suffix A or B...

 from southwestern Minnesota. First elected in 1986 in the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party’s

Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party

The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...

 “firestorm” that swept through the region, giving Democrats

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 unprecedented control of southwestern Minnesota for the next several election cycles, Cooper served five terms. He was re-elected in 1988, 1990, 1992 and 1994. He represented the old District 21B and, later, District 15B, which included all or portions of Chippewa

Chippewa County, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,088 people, 5,361 households, and 3,597 families residing in the county. The population density was 22 people per square mile . There were 5,855 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile...

, Kandiyohi

Kandiyohi County, Minnesota

Kandiyohi County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, its population was 42,239. Its county seat is Willmar.- History :...

, McLeod

McLeod County, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 34,898 people, 13,449 households, and 9,427 families residing in the county. The population density was 71 people per square mile . There were 14,087 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile...

, Meeker

Meeker County, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 22,644 people, 8,590 households, and 6,133 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile . There were 9,821 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile...

, Renville

Renville County, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 17,154 people, 6,779 households, and 4,623 families residing in the county. The population density was 18 people per square mile . There were 7,413 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...

, Sibley

Sibley County, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 15,356 people, 5,772 households, and 4,086 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile . There were 6,024 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile...

 and Yellow Medicine

Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota

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  counties, changing somewhat through redistricting

Redistricting

Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...

 in 1990.

From the small town of Bird Island

Bird Island, Minnesota

Bird Island is a city on U.S. Route 212 in Renville County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,042 at the 2010 census.The city is named for a nearby 60-acre island. At one time, the island, was surrounded by sloughs and covered with many huge, beautiful trees, which were a refuge for...

, Cooper, a public school history teacher, earned a reputation as a strong advocate for education, farmers and agricultural issues during his time in office. After his service in the legislature concluded, he served on the Minnesota Region 6E Development Commission and, more recently, was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Bird Island City Council. He was subsequently elected to that position in November 2006.

While in the legislature, Cooper was a member of the House Agriculture, Health & Human Services, Transportation & Transit, Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs, and Economic Development & Governmental Operations committees, and of various sub-committees relevant to each area.

In 2007, the Minnesota Legislature

Minnesota Legislature

The Minnesota Legislature is the legislative branch of government in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is a bicameral legislature located at the Minnesota Capitol in Saint Paul and it consists of two houses: the lower Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate...

 renamed an incentive program for Minnesota’s emergency service personnel in honor of Cooper, who is undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer, and former Minnesota State Senator

Minnesota Senate

The Minnesota Senate is the upper house in the Minnesota Legislature. There are 67 members, half as many as are in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In terms of membership, it is the largest upper house of any state legislature. Each Senate district in the state includes an A and B House...

Dallas Sams, who died in 2007 after a long battle with brain cancer. The program is now known as the Cooper/Sams Volunteer Ambulance Program. Both Cooper and Sams invested a great deal of time into ensuring the passage of the original incentive program through the Legislature in 1993.

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