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Alain Belda, Robert Devlin Elected Directors of Cooper Industries

5 August 1997

Alain Belda, Robert Devlin Elected Directors of Cooper Industries

    HOUSTON, Aug. 5 -- Alain J. P. Belda, President and
Chief Operating Officer of Alcoa (Aluminum Company of America), and Robert M.
Devlin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American General Corporation,
have been elected to the Board of Directors of Cooper Industries, Inc.
.  There are now 12 members of Cooper's Board of Directors
following the election of these directors.
    Belda, 53, served as Vice Chairman of Alcoa from 1995 until he was named
to his current position in January of this year.  He joined Alcoa Aluminio,
Alcoa's majority owned Brazilian affiliate, in 1969 and held a number of
financial planning posts there until being named President of Alcoa Aluminio
in 1979.  In 1982, Belda was elected a vice president of Alcoa. In 1989, he
took on the additional responsibility as Vice President of Latin America, and
subsequently, he became President-Latin America and President of Alcoa
Aluminio.  Belda moved to Pittsburgh in 1994 when he was named Executive Vice
President of Alcoa.  Alcoa is the world's leading aluminum producer.
    Belda is also a member of the Board of Directors of Citicorp.  He studied
in Brazil and Canada and graduated from MacKenzie University with a degree in
business administration.
    Devlin, 56, was elected Chairman of the Board of American General
Corporation in April 1997.  He was named Chief Executive Officer in October
1996 and President in October 1995.  He was elected Vice Chairman and director
in September 1993.  Previously, Devlin served as President and Chief Executive
Officer of American General Life Insurance Company from 1986 to 1993.  He also
served as Executive Vice President of American General Corporation and as
Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for American General Life
and Accident.  Devlin  joined the company in 1977.  American General
Corporation is one of the nation's largest diversified financial services
organizations and a leading provider of retirement services, life insurance,
and consumer loans.
    Devlin is a trustee of The American College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.  He
also serves on the advisory board of Tulane University and is a member of the
Governor's Business Council, State of Texas.  He earned a B.A. in economics
from Tulane University in 1964.
    Cooper Industries, with 1996 revenues of $5.3 billion, is a diversified,
worldwide manufacturer of electrical products, tools and hardware, and
automotive products.  Additional information about Cooper is available on the
 company's World Wide Web site: http://www.cooperindustries.com.

SOURCE  Cooper Industries, Inc.