Representative Larry Jones Hopkins

Larry Jones Hopkins (October 25, 1933 – November 15, 2021) was an American businessman and Republican politician who represented Kentucky’s 6th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from January 3, 1979, to January 3, 1993. Over seven consecutive terms in Congress, he participated actively in the legislative process and represented the interests of his constituents during a significant period in late twentieth-century American political history. He later became the Republican nominee for governor of Kentucky in 1991 and was the father of actor Josh Hopkins.

Hopkins was born in Detroit, Michigan, on October 25, 1933, the son of Louise Jones and James Glenn Hopkins. He was raised in Kentucky, where he attended public schools in the village of Wingo. After completing his early education, he pursued higher studies at Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky. His upbringing in rural Kentucky and his education in the state helped shape his understanding of local issues and laid the groundwork for his later career in public service.

From 1954 to 1956, Hopkins served in the United States Marine Corps, an experience that informed his later interest in national defense and military affairs. Following his military service, he entered the private sector and became a stockbroker with the investment firm Hilliard Lyons. His work in business and finance provided him with experience in economic and market issues that would later influence his approach to fiscal and regulatory matters as a legislator.

Hopkins’s formal political career began at the local level in Fayette County, Kentucky, where he served as county clerk. He then advanced to state office, winning election to the Kentucky House of Representatives, in which he served from 1972 to 1978. In 1978 he was elected to the Kentucky Senate, further broadening his legislative experience and visibility within the state Republican Party. These roles in county and state government established his reputation as a public official and set the stage for his successful campaign for Congress.

In 1978, Hopkins was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Republican from Kentucky’s 6th congressional district, taking office on January 3, 1979. He served seven terms, remaining in the House until January 3, 1993. During his tenure, he was a member of the House Committee on Armed Services, where he played a notable role in defense policy. He was a principal House cosponsor of the Goldwater–Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986, landmark legislation that restructured the U.S. military command system and strengthened joint operations among the armed services. His service in Congress coincided with the late Cold War and the early post–Cold War era, during which he contributed to debates on national security, defense reform, and other key legislative issues.

In 1991, Hopkins sought higher office as the Republican nominee for governor of Kentucky. He first secured his party’s nomination by defeating Larry Forgy in the Republican primary. In the general election, he faced Democratic nominee Brereton C. Jones. Hopkins was defeated in that contest, with Jones receiving 540,468 votes (64.7 percent) to Hopkins’s 294,452 votes (35.3 percent). Following his gubernatorial loss, and amid the fallout from the House banking scandal, Hopkins chose not to seek re-election to the House of Representatives in 1992. Although his name was associated with the scandal at the time, he was later exonerated of all charges.

After leaving Congress, Hopkins continued his involvement in public affairs and government-related work. He served in the administration of President George H. W. Bush as director of the Tobacco Division of the Agricultural Marketing Service, where he was involved in federal oversight and regulation of tobacco markets, a matter of particular importance to Kentucky’s agricultural economy. He subsequently worked in the private sector as a lobbyist, including with the firms Lott & Hopkins LLC and Sonny Callahan & Associates LLC, drawing on his legislative experience and policy expertise to advise clients on federal issues.

In his personal life, Hopkins married Carolyn Pennebaker in 1956. The couple had three children—two daughters and a son, Josh Hopkins, who later became a professional actor. Larry Jones Hopkins died on November 15, 2021, at the age of 88, closing a career that spanned military service, local and state office, seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, and continued engagement in public policy after his congressional service.