Edward Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, and spent the final two years of President Bill Clinton's administration as head of the Health and Human Services Department's civil rights office.

CNN: SHARE THIS

During the Reagan administration, Mr. Cooper joined the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and the Office of Legal Counsel, where he built a reputation as a legal "originalist, " who staunchly defends the letter of the law.

WSJ: Chuck Cooper, the Other Lawyer in Gay-Marriage Case