He was first elected to Parliament in the 1975 elections as MP for Otago, defeating the newly elected Ian Quigley of the Labour Party. In 1978, he was appointed to his first ministerial roles, most notably Minister of Tourism. When Brian Talboys retired from Parliament in 1981, Cooper was appointed to replace him as Minister of Foreign Affairs -- he held this position until the government of Robert Muldoon was defeated in 1984.
Brian Talboys
Cooper