[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2727]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF BILL COOPER

  (Mr. LEWIS of Minnesota asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LEWIS of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and 
celebrate the life of Bill Cooper. Bill was a leader, innovator, 
philanthropist, and a friend, and he lived the American Dream.
  He grew up in Detroit, where he worked as a police officer while 
earning a degree in accounting. His career in banking brought him to 
Minnesota in 1985, when he became CEO of Twin Cities Federal. He 
transformed this small savings and loan into a thriving national bank.
  Bill worked to ensure that all children also had access to a quality 
education by founding the Friends of Education, which sponsors 15 
schools and serves more than 9,000 children.
  Bill was a defining force as well in Minnesota politics. He always 
stood up for conservative principles and served as chairman of the 
State Republican Party from 1997 to 1999.
  Bill Cooper left his mark on Minnesota, and he will be deeply missed 
by all of us who knew him.

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