Elizabeth Cooper

Who was Elizabeth Cooper?

Elizabeth Cooper was a Scottish-Filipina film actress, vaudeville dancer, and singer. In addition to her movie career, Cooper was also known for being the mistress of General Douglas MacArthur.

Born in Manila, the Philippines, as Isabel Rosario Cooper, she was the recipient of the first on-screen kiss in a Filipino movie, Ang Tatlong Hambog. In 1930, she met US General Douglas MacArthur and became his mistress. He arranged for her to follow him to Washington, D.C..

While serving as Army Chief of Staff in the 1930s, MacArthur filed a libel action against a journalist at The Washington Post, Drew Pearson. When Pearson added Cooper to his list of witnesses to be deposed, MacArthur dropped the suit. MacArthur subsequently paid Cooper $15,000 to leave Washington, the money allegedly delivered by his aide, Dwight Eisenhower.