Rebecca McDowell "Bekki" Cook (July 18, 1950) is an American

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

from

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, United States. She served as the 36th Missouri Secretary of State from December 1994 to January 2001. Cook was raised in

Jackson, Missouri Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, United States. It is a principal city of the Cape Girardeau-Jackson metropolitan area Area. The population of Jackson was 15,481 at the 2020 census. History In 1813, ...

, and attended public schools. She graduated from the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

in 1972 with a degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

. She received her J.D. degree from the University of Missouri in 1975 and practiced law in

Cape Girardeau Cape Girardeau ( , ; colloquially referred to as "Cape") is a city in Cape Girardeau and Scott Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. At the 2020 census, the population was 39,540, making it the 17th-largest in the state. The city is one o ...

. While working in private law practice, Cook was appointed to the

Missouri State Board of Education Missouri State Board of Education (MSBE) is Missouri's board of education, headquartered in Jefferson City, Missouri, Jefferson City.John Ashcroft John David Ashcroft (born May 9, 1942) is an American lawyer, Lobbying, lobbyist, and former politician who served as the 79th United States attorney general under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. A Republican Party (United States), R ...

. She was subsequently re-appointed by Governor

Mel Carnahan Melvin Eugene Carnahan (February 11, 1934 – October 16, 2000) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 51st governor of Missouri from 1993 until his death in 2000. Carnahan was a Democrat and held various positions in governm ...

. In December 1994, Carnahan appointed Cook as Missouri's Secretary of State. Cook succeeded

Judi Moriarty Judith K. Moriarty (born February 2, 1942) is an American politician from Missouri. She was the first woman to serve as Missouri Secretary of State. She was impeached in 1994 for conduct issues, and forced from office. She was a member of ...

who had been impeached and removed from office following a scandal. In 1996, Cook was elected to a full term as Secretary of State. She chose not to seek re-election in 2000. In 2004, Cook ran for

Lieutenant Governor of Missouri The lieutenant governor of Missouri is the first person in the order of succession of the U.S. state of Missouri's executive branch, thus serving as governor in the event of the death, resignation, removal, impeachment, absence from the state, ...

and won a contested primary to become the Democratic nominee. However, she was defeated by less than 1% of the vote in the general election by Republican

Peter Kinder Peter Dickson Kinder (born May 12, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 46th Lieutenant Governor of Missouri from 2005 to 2017. He was appointed as a co-chairman of the Delta Regional Authority in August 2017, serving in ...

who is also from

Cape Girardeau County, Missouri Cape Girardeau County (commonly called Cape County) is located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Missouri; its eastern border is formed by the Mississippi River. At the 2020 census, the population was 81,710. The county seat is J ...

Personal life

Cook is married to Cape Girardeau attorney John Larkin Cook. They have two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Bekki 1950 births Living people Secretaries of state of Missouri School board members in Missouri People from Cape Girardeau County, Missouri University of Missouri alumni Women in Missouri politics Missouri Democrats Candidates in the 2004 United States elections 20th-century Missouri politicians 21st-century Missouri politicians 21st-century American women politicians 20th-century American women politicians