heodore Frederick Koop was born in Monticello, Iowa, in 1907. He graduated from the University of Iowa in 1928, majoring in journalism. While at Iowa he was editor of the school’s paper, The Daily Iowan and was active in inter-collegiate debates. From 1928 to 1941, Koop was with the Associated Press, first serving in Des Moines and finally as a news editor in the Washington Bureau. He helped plan news coverage and wrote many major stories. He covered Franklin Roosevelt’s third inauguration and directed the AP coverage of Wendell Wilkie’s presidential campaign in 1940.

Koop joined the National Geographic Society staff in 1941, before entering the service in World War II. While in the navy, he worked in the federal government’s office of censorship. After the war, he returned to the National Geographic Society, staying there until 1948, when he accepted a position with CBS Radio, as director of news and public affairs in Washington,D.C. He was named vice president of the CBS Television network in 1961. It was Theodore Koop, who conceived the public affairs program Face the Nationand was actively involved in The Selling of the Pentagona CBS special report in 1971. Koop died in 1988.