John Cooksey

John Charles Cooksey (August 20, 1941 – June 4, 2022) was an American ophthalmologist and politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for Louisiana’s 5th congressional district from 1997 to 2003. A member of the Republican Party, he contributed to the legislative process during three terms in office, representing the interests of his constituents during a significant period in American history.

Cooksey was born on August 20, 1941, in Alexandria, in Rapides Parish in central Louisiana. He was raised in nearby Olla in LaSalle Parish, where his father operated a sawmill, and he graduated from La Salle High School in Olla. His early life in a small, rural community in Louisiana helped shape his familiarity with the economic and social concerns of the region that he would later represent in Congress.

After completing high school, Cooksey attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He then pursued medical training and received his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree from the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans in 1966. Demonstrating an interest in both medicine and business, he later returned to formal education and earned a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from the University of Texas at Austin in 1994. During this period, he also became a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, reflecting his involvement in campus life.

Cooksey served in the United States Air Force from 1967 until 1969, during which time he was stationed in Texas and Thailand. Following his active-duty service, he continued his military involvement in the Air Force Reserve from 1969 until 1972. After completing his military service, he established himself as an ophthalmologist, building a medical practice in Louisiana. His medical career, combined with his business training, gave him professional experience in both health care and management before he entered electoral politics.

Cooksey was elected to Congress in 1996 and took office on January 3, 1997, as the U.S. Representative for Louisiana’s 5th congressional district. The district was traditionally based in the northeastern quadrant of the state around Monroe, though it was later reconfigured to extend deep into south Louisiana. He first won the seat by defeating Democratic state legislator Francis C. Thompson of Delhi in Richland Parish, after edging past former U.S. Representative Clyde C. Holloway of Forest Hill in Rapides Parish in the state’s nonpartisan blanket primary. During his initial campaign, Cooksey pledged to serve no more than three terms in the House of Representatives, a pledge he honored by leaving the House after his third term. From 1997 to 2003, he participated in the democratic process as a member of the House of Representatives, engaging in legislative work and representing the concerns of his district during a time that included notable national and international developments.

In 2002, rather than seek reelection to the House, Cooksey was an unsuccessful candidate in the Republican primary for the United States Senate seat held by Democrat Mary Landrieu. During that campaign, he made a derogatory remark about Arabs, comparing traditional Arab headdresses such as turbans and keffiyehs to diapers fastened by fan belts. The comment was widely criticized by his opponents as racist, and he was never able to overcome the political damage caused by the incident. In the November general election, the Republican nominee, Suzanne Haik Terrell of New Orleans—Cooksey’s intra-party rival—was defeated by Landrieu, and in the same general election balloting, Democrats temporarily regained Cooksey’s former House seat.

After his Senate campaign, Cooksey retired from electoral politics and resumed his medical practice as an ophthalmologist. He remained active in his profession while maintaining ties to his community in Louisiana. He was a Methodist and continued his family life with his wife, the former Ann Grabill (born 1943); the couple had three children. His post-congressional years were spent largely outside the public political arena, focusing on medicine, family, and community affairs.

John Charles Cooksey died in Columbia, Louisiana, on June 4, 2022, at the age of 80. His career encompassed military service, medical practice, and three terms in the United States House of Representatives, during which he represented Louisiana’s 5th congressional district as a Republican from 1997 to 2003.