Ben Jones as Cooter Davenport
Jones followed perhaps the cast’s most unexpected path after playing his character: He went from Hazzard County mechanic to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Jones was elected as a Democrat from Georgia and served two terms in Congress from 1989 to 1993, according to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. He also remained deeply connected to “The Dukes of Hazzard.”
This 1983 portrait captures Ben Jones while he was still known primarily as Cooter Davenport on “The Dukes of Hazzard.” Six years later, he began serving in Congress, a career turn that set his post-Hazzard path apart from much of the cast. | Source: Getty Images
This 1983 portrait captures Ben Jones while he was still known primarily as Cooter Davenport on “The Dukes of Hazzard.” Six years later, he began serving in Congress, a career turn that set his post-Hazzard path apart from much of the cast. | Source: Getty Images
In August 2026, Jones’ wife, Alma Viator, announced that he had died after suffering a massive heart attack. He was 84. “I lost the love of my life today,” Viator wrote on Facebook.
His former castmates responded with personal tributes.
Cherry called Jones a “Dear friend” in a Facebook post and asked fans to pray for Viator and the family. He also shared photographs of Jones with fellow cast members, including Shroyer and Rick Hurst.
Shroyer reshared Viator’s announcement on Facebook and added a broken-heart emoji and two crying faces.
Wopat’s Instagram tribute reached back to the relationships formed on the show. He called Jones a “fine friend” and “a fierce advocate of all the best things we can offer in the entertainment business.”
Wopat also recalled a running joke between Jones and Denver Pyle, who often told him, “I’m not your Uncle Jesse!” He then summed up the loss in more personal terms, writing, “But I feel like we lost a Duke cousin today.”
Taken together, the cast’s stories show how much can change in the decades after a television hit ends. Their careers, losses, and later chapters paint a very different picture from the one viewers first knew in Hazzard County.
