Thomas F. Cooke (January 23, 1863 – May 14, 1941) was an American banker and politician who served on the

Los Angeles City Council The Los Angeles City Council is the Legislature, lawmaking body for the Government of Los Angeles, city government of Los Angeles, California, the second largest city in the United States. It has 15 members who each represent the 15 city council ...

for the 2nd district from 1929 to 1931. Cooke joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, where he eventually rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and served in the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

. Later, he served in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in the Army Quartermaster Corps. Cooke relocated to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in 1907, where he worked for the Pacific Southwest Trust and Savings Bank and later for Los Angeles-First National Trust and Savings Bank. Additionally, he was a member of the Hollywood Board of Trade and served as chairman of the 1928 county grand jury, which indicted

Los Angeles County District Attorney The District Attorney of Los Angeles County is in charge of the office that prosecutor, prosecutes felony and misdemeanor crimes that occur within Los Angeles County, California, United States. The current district attorney (DA) is Nathan Hochma ...

Asa Keyes. In 1929, Cooke was elected to the Los Angeles City Council for the 2nd district after the incumbent,

Arthur Alber Arthur Alber (September 16, 1892 – December 13, 1964) was an attorney and a member of the Los Angeles, California, City Council from 1927 to 1929. Elected to the Los Angeles City Council District 2 in the May 1927 primary election, Alber is ...

, retired. After a single term, he lost re-election to James M. Hyde, and subsequently retired from politics.

Early life and military career

Cooke was born on January 23, 1863, in Center Grove, Iowa. His father, David Grant Cooke, served in the 92nd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment and was captured and executed by

Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821October 29, 1877) was an List of slave traders of the United States, American slave trader, active in the lower Mississippi River valley, who served as a General officers in the Confederate States Army, Con ...

near Cottage Grove, Tennessee on December 22, 1864. He was raised by his widowed mother and later moved to

Algona, Iowa Algona is the county seat of Kossuth County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,487 at the 2020 census. Ambrose A. Call State Park is located two miles southwest of the city. History Algona was founded in 1854 and was named after the ...

as a young adult to enter the land business. In 1889, Cooke was notified of a vacancy in the Sixth Regiment of the

Iowa Army National Guard The Iowa Army National Guard is a state agency of the State of Iowa, with significant funding from the Federal Government of the United States; and a reserve component of the United States Army. It has dual Federal and State missions. It is empo ...

by A. D. Clarke. He organized a group of young men to join the company. In 1892, Iowa Governor

Horace Boies Horace Boies (December 7, 1827 – April 4, 1923) served as the 14th Governor of Iowa from 1890 to 1894 as a member of the Democratic Party. Early Life Horace was born in Aurora, New York to Eber Boies, a farmer and veteran of the War of 1 ...

appointed Cooke as the General Inspector of Small Arms Practice and raised his rank to lieutenant colonel. At the outbreak of the

on April 21, 1898, Cooke's company was called to serve and ordered to Camp George H. Thomas at

Chickamauga, Georgia Chickamauga is a city in Walker County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,917 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Before the 1800s, the Chickamauga Cherokee settled aro ...

. Although they never saw battle, Cooke contracted typhoid fever while stationed there. In August 1905, Cooke directed the third annual meeting of the Iowa Rifle Association in Fort Des Moines. In 1902, Cooke purchased a half interest in the Benham Garment Company and rented a home in Des Moines, though he frequently traveled back and forth to Algona. In 1904, after being elected Lieutenant Colonel of the 56th Regiment for the Iowa National Guard, the family permanently moved to Des Moines and sold their Algona home.

Move to California and public service

In 1907, due to his wife Nellie's asthma, the family moved to the city of

Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...

. There, Cooke managed several banks and served as a

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the Army Quartermaster Corps during

. He was also a member of the Hollywood Board of Trade, which later became the Chamber of Commerce when Hollywood joined

. In 1927, Cooke traveled around the world with a film crew. The next year, he served as the chairman of the 1928 county grand jury, which accused

Asa Keyes of "willful and corrupt misconduct" in office. The grand jury would indict Keyes for accepting a bribe from the Julian Petroleum Corporation, sentenced to five years' imprisonment, and removed from office. In 1929, Cooke ran for the 2nd district of the

after incumbent

retired. He stressed the use of law enforcement in the city as well as the maintenance and development of the city's water, power, and harbor. He won the election in the primary and endorsed a $17,500,000 power bonds and $22,500,000 water bonds for the general election. In the council, he was appointed to the Water and Power Committee alongside

Carl Ingold Jacobson Carl Ingold Jacobson (March 12, 1877 – January 13, 1960) was a City Council member from 1925 to 1933. He was tried on a morals charge, and then it was later shown that he was the victim of a frameup by local police authorities. Biography Jac ...

and Thomas W. Williams. He ran for re-election in 1931 but was defeated by James M. Hyde.

Personal life

Cooke married Nellie Elizabeth Ford in 1895, and they had two children, Edwin and Elizabeth. During his time on the City Council, Cooke and his family lived in a house at the foot of the

Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills is a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. It borders Studio City, Universal City and Burbank on the north, Griffith Park on the north and east, Los Feliz on the southeast, Hollyw ...

. He died on May 14, 1941, at his home in Westwood. He was cremated at

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematorium, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries ...

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooke, Thomas F. Los Angeles City Council members American bankers 1863 births 1941 deaths American businesspeople in real estate People from Dubuque County, Iowa American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Army personnel of World War I Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery