C. James Roper Explained

District:41st
Party:Republican
State Senate:Georgia
Birth Place:Jasper, Georgia, U.S.
Birth Date:14 April 1905
Term Start:January 14, 1957
Term End:January 12, 1959
Successor:Charles William Kiker
Predecessor:Charles Emerson Waters
Alma Mater:Berea College
Medical College of Georgia
Rank:Major
Battles:
Serviceyears:1943–1946
Branch:Army Air Forces
Children:3

C. James Roper (April 14, 1905[1] – September 18, 1983)[2] was an American physician and politician from Georgia. He served in the Georgia State Senate for one term, from 1957 to 1959.

Early life

Roper was born April 14, 1905, in Jasper, Georgia. He attended Berea College, where he graduated in 1928. Shortly after, he began teaching science and chemistry in Austinburg, Ohio.[3] He later attended the Medical College of Georgia, graduating in 1934 with an M.D. He served in World War II in the Army Air Forces and was sent to Europe in 1943 as a flight surgeon, with the rank of Major. He was discharged from service in 1946.

Career

He served in the Georgia State Senate from 1957 to 1959, representing the 41st district, composing of Pickens, Fannin, and Gilmer counties in mountainous North Georgia. He represented an ancestrally Republican district in Georgia. He was known for introducing healthcare bills in the legislature. He was known locally as "the mountain doctor" by his constituents.

In 1982, he retired from medical practice at age 76 due to poor health.

Personal life

He met his wife, Helen Ellsworth, while teaching in Austinburg. They married on June 18, 1932. They had three daughters.

He died on September 18, 1983, at age 78.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bryan . Mary . 1958 . Georgia's official register, 1957-1958 . January 15, 2024 . . 356.
  2. News: 1983-09-19 . Obituary for Dr. C.J. ROPER . 2024-01-16 . The Atlanta Constitution . 57.
  3. News: 1982-03-25 . 'Mountain Doctor' Forced To Retire After 47 Years . 2024-01-16 . Pickens County Progress . 10.