In 1933 Edward L. Cooper, Sr., was the first African-American to be hired to manage a major food chain in Boston, the First National Store on Shawmut Avenue. From 1942-48 he was Deputy Secretary of the Urban League and served as Executive Secretary from 1948-54. From 1954-62 he served as the first Executive Director of Boston's NAACP. A co-founder of the Metropolitan Boston Chapter of the National Caucus and Center on Black Aged, he served as chapter president from 1981-1988.