The cap, wrench and easy grin at Cooter's garage belonged to Ben Jones, who carried that television mechanic's warmth into an unlikely second career in Congress. Jones died at his home near Luray, Virginia, on August 9, 2026, at 84.

Cooter Davenport was the dependable mechanic in the center of the noisy chases and family scrapes of The Dukes of Hazzard. Jones played him in every season of the CBS series, which ran from 1979 to 1985, according to WYMT. The role gave Jones a durable bond with viewers, one he renewed in person for decades.

Jones was born in Tarboro, North Carolina, on August 30, 1941, and grew up in Portsmouth, Virginia. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1959 and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1961 to 1964. During that decade, he took part in civil rights sit-ins and began building a life in the theater.

Television made his face familiar, but Jones did not treat Cooter as a part to outgrow. Years later, he told Roll Call, "I have a great appreciation for Cooter, for that character, for that show and for the fun that it not only has brought but continues to bring to people all over the world." At the museums and festivals that followed, he kept meeting, singing for and celebrating with the show's audience.

Then the actor asked Georgia voters to send him somewhere television audiences rarely expected to find Cooter: the U.S. Capitol. Jones first ran for the House in 1986 and won election as a Democrat two years later. The U.S. House of Representatives recorded his service in the 101st and 102nd Congresses, from January 3, 1989, to January 3, 1993. He represented Georgia's 4th congressional district for two terms.

For Jones, the work in Washington centered on people more than spectacle. Looking back in 2008, he identified constituent service and assistance for Vietnam veterans among the congressional efforts that made him proudest. His account of the job emphasized answering to the people who had placed him there.

After Congress, Jones returned to entertainment and added writing, commentary and music to his public life. His memoir, Redneck Boy in the Promised Land, appeared in June 2008. It joined the different chapters of his life, from a Virginia childhood and the stages of his early career to Hazzard County and the House chamber.

The most lasting extension of Cooter came through the places Jones and his wife, Alma Viator, created together. Their Cooter's Place museums and shops in Luray, Nashville and Pigeon Forge turned television nostalgia into gathering places. They also created DukesFest, an annual celebration that brought the show's audience and cast together. The official Cooter's Place biography recorded Jones's work as a singer with Cooter's Garage Band, which performed at concerts, fairs and festivals around the country.

In Luray, the circle became especially personal. Jones greeted visitors near the store and sang with the band, meeting people who had first known him through a screen. That welcome joined the central parts of his life: an actor's connection with an audience, a representative's instinct for direct contact and a musician's wish to share a room with listeners.

Jones's work remains unusually tangible. Cooter is still at the garage whenever an episode plays. His congressional record preserves two terms of service to Georgia. His memoir holds his own account of the road between those worlds, while the museums, festivals and music keep fans gathering beyond the final credits.