Roy Asberry Cooper Jr. and Beverly Batchelor Cooper are Roy Cooper’s parents. Beverly Batchelor Cooper worked as a teacher, and Roy Asberry Cooper Jr. was a lawyer and farmer. On June 13, 1957, Roy Cooper was born in Nashville, North Carolina.
He earned diplomas from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1979 and Northern Nash High School in 1975, respectively. In 1982, he graduated with his Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina School of Law.
Kristin Cooper is the wife of Roy Cooper. Claire, Natalie, and daughters Hilary are their children. Their son, Roy Asberry Cooper III is an American attorney and politician, serving as the 75th governor of North Carolina since 2017. Cooper was born in Nashville, North Carolina, and raised in Nash County.
A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th attorney general of North Carolina from 2001 to 2017 and in the North Carolina General Assembly in both the House of Representatives and Senate between 1987 and 2001.
In 2000, Cooper was elected attorney general of North Carolina. He was re-elected in 2004, 2008, and 2012. As attorney general, Cooper focused on consumer protection, environmental protection, and civil rights. He also fought against discrimination and worked to protect the rights of the poor and the elderly.
In 2016, Cooper ran for governor of North Carolina. He defeated Republican incumbent Pat McCrory in a close race. Cooper was sworn in as governor on January 1, 2017.