Art Cooley

Arthur P. Cooley
Cooley in 2008
Born(1934-06-02)June 2, 1934
DiedJanuary 30, 2022(2022-01-30) (aged 87)
CitizenshipAmerican
EducationCornell University (B.S.; M.S.)
OccupationsEducator, naturalist, scientist, environmental activist
EmployerSouth Country Central School District
Known forCo-founding the Environmental Defense Fund
Spouse(s)Nancy Neinstadt (m. 1954; div. 2004)
Beverly Grant (m. 2004)
Children2

Arthur P. Cooley (June 2, 1934 – January 30, 2022) was an American biology teacher, naturalist and expedition leader, and a co-founder of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

In the mid-1960s, while a teacher at Bellport High School on New York's Long Island, Cooley was one of several local activists who came together to stop the use of the pesticide/pollutant DDT by the Suffolk County Mosquito Control Commission. This collaboration led to the founding of the Environmental Defense Fund.