Ben Jones, the actor who played mechanic Cooter Davenport on The Dukes of Hazzard and later served two terms in the U.S. House, died August 9, 2026, at 84. The Associated Press said the cause was a heart attack at his home in Washington, Virginia, according to his wife, Alma Viator.
Jones played Cooter, the mechanic who helped Bo and Luke Duke out of trouble and owned Cooter’s Garage in fictional Hazzard County, across all seven seasons of the CBS series from 1979 to 1985. The show went into syndication and became a fixture on cable, while the role gave Jones his widest audience, The Washington Post wrote in a 1999 profile.
Born August 30, 1941, in North Carolina, Jones studied theater at the University of North Carolina and became involved in acting and civil rights while in college. He took a supporting part in Moonrunners, a 1970s film that helped lead to The Dukes of Hazzard, before turning to electoral politics. He won a Georgia House seat in 1988, was reelected in 1990 and served until 1993, when redistricting ended his tenure.
After Congress, Jones returned to acting and appeared in Primary Colors. In 1999, he and Viator opened Cooter’s Place, a Dukes-themed museum and store in Sperryville, Virginia; the business later expanded to other locations. They also produced Dukes reunion festivals, and Jones toured with Cooter’s Garage Band.
