Meet Dan Cooper

Dan Cooper represents South Carolina House of Representatives District 10 in Anderson County. He has served the people of Anderson since 1990 when he succeeded his father, Milford J. “Dolly” Cooper, who had served in the House for 16 years. Cooper has the distinction of being the first Republican ever elected to the SC Statehouse from Anderson County. Throughout his time in office, Cooper has been recognized as a devoted public servant who shapes public policy based on his dedication to making South Carolina an even better place to live and work.

Cooper was born on January 12, 1961 to Milford J. “Dolly” and Melba B. Cooper. Born and raised in the Piedmont community, Cooper graduated from Wren High School in 1979 and from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1984. Following graduation, he spent two years working for state and local governments. In 1987, Cooper embarked upon a career in insurance. He has attended Commercial Property & Casualty Insurance schools through both the Independent Agents of SC and AutoOwners Insurance Company and became a Certified Insurance Counselor in 2004. Currently, Cooper is a vice-president of Capstone Insurance Services, LLC, in Greenville.

During his time in the South Carolina House of Representatives, Cooper has been an influential voice for his constituents and for all of the people of South Carolina. He currently serves as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, a position his House colleagues elected him to in 2005. In that role, Cooper manages the House version of the state budget and serves as a member of the State Budget and Control Board where he has the distinction of being the only board member from South Carolina’s Upstate.

Also as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Cooper serves on the Joint Bond Review Committee, which studies and monitors policies and procedures relating to the approval of permanent state improvement projects, and was a member of the special Joint Tax Study Committee, which reviewed the state’s tax laws for simplicity and fairness. Before he was elected Ways and Means Chairman, Cooper served as a member of the House Medical, Military and Municipal Affairs Committee; the Education and Public Works Committee; and the Ways & Means Committee, a position he held for a decade.

In addition to his civil service as a representative in the SC House, Dan Cooper is very involved in his community. He is on the board for SC's annual hot air balloon event Freedom Weekend Aloft and is a member of the Hunley Commission, the Pelzer Lions Club and the Small Business Association.  Previously, he was a board member for Boys Home of the South, Inc. and a member of the legislative advisory board of Palmetto Pride, South Carolina’s anti-litter group.  In his hometown of Piedmont, Cooper serves as a Sunday school director at Mt. Airy Baptist Church and as a Cub Scout Den Leader of Pack 13.

Cooper lives in Piedmont with his wife Melissa “Missy” Shellenbarger Cooper and their two children, Leanne Alexandra and Daniel T. Cooper, II.