robert e. cooper, sr. (october 14, 1920 july 11, 2016) was an american judge. he was a justice on the tennessee supreme court from 1974 until his retirement in 1990. cooper was born in chattanooga, tennessee. he was a former chairman of the tennessee judicial council. he has served on the sixth judicial circuit (1953–1960) and tennessee court of appeals (1960–1974).