The Hon. Thomas W. Cooper, Jr. (Ret.) has served as a judge for the 3rd Judicial Circuit Court of South Carolina. Cooper was elected to the bench by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1992. He retired in 2006.
The 3rd Judicial Circuit encompasses Lee, Sumter, Clarendon, and Williamsburg Counties.
Cooper earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of South Carolina in 1963. He spent the next several years teaching English in the public schools of Clarendon County and working in the administration of the public schools of Sumter County before completing a J.D. at the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1973.
After graduating from law school, Cooper entered into private practice, working as a partner at Coffey, Cooper, Chandler & DuRant in Manning. He remained with the firm until his election to the bench.
Cooper was born in Sumter, South Carolina, to Thomas, an electrician and automotive mechanic, and Elizabeth, the postmaster of the Town of Mayesville. He was raised in Mayesville, South Carolina. Cooper and his wife, Margaret, attend the Presbyterian church at Manning. When not presiding over legal proceedings, he enjoys golfing and bird hunting.