A former head of Northern Ireland's Fair Employment Commission and a founding member of the Alliance Party died today.
Sir Robert Cooper passed away peacefully at his home in Holywood, Co Down, early this morning, his family announced.
Mr Cooper (68) was the North's Fair Employment chief for over 20 years following a brief political career.
Born in Co Donegal and educated in Derry and Queen's University Belfast, he spent 14 years working in industry before turning to politics.
He was a founding member and joint political chairman of the Alliance Party, and was elected to the 1973 Northern Ireland Assembly for West Belfast.
He was also elected to the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention in 1975 and, after taking part in the Sunningdale talks, was Minister of Manpower Services in the short-lived power sharing executive of the mid 1970s.
Following the collapse of the executive he became the first chairman of the Fair Employment Agency in 1976, a post he held until it was succeeded by the Fair Employment Commission in 1990. He chaired the Commission from then until 1999.
He was also a member of the Secretary of State's Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights from 1976 to 1999.
In 1998 he received his knighthood for services to equal opportunities. Mr Cooper served as Chairman of the Integrated Education Fund for four years until July this year. In the role he developed the campaign to increase the number of integrated school places available to children in the North.
PA