Elijah Fox Cook (December 3, 1805October 8, 1886) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician. He served in the state senates of

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

(1838–1840) and

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

(1857–1859), and was the 3rd Mayor of

Sheboygan, Wisconsin Sheboygan () is a city in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 49,929 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Sheboygan Metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan area, which has a pop ...

Biography

Born in

Palatine, New York Palatine is a town in Montgomery County, New York, United States. It is located on the north side of the Mohawk River in the northwestern part of the county. The population was 3,189 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from the Palatinate ...

, Cook moved to Oakland County,

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...

, in 1831. He was admitted to the Michigan bar and practiced law in Farmington, and

Pontiac Pontiac most often refers to: * Pontiac (Odawa leader) ( – 1769), Native American war chief *Pontiac (automobile), a former General Motors brand Pontiac may also refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apo ...

. He served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1835 which drafted the first

Constitution of Michigan The Constitution of the State of Michigan is the governing document of the U.S. state of Michigan. It describes the structure and function of the state's government. There have been four constitutions approved by the people of Michigan. The fi ...

. He went on to serve in the

Michigan State Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Constitution of Michigan, Mi ...

during the 1838 and 1839 sessions of the legislature. In 1847, Cook moved to Sheboygan,

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized and incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belm ...

, and practiced law. Just after Wisconsin achieved statehood, he was elected to two consecutive terms as

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

of Sheboygan County, serving from 1849 through 1853. During these years, he also promoted the Cascade & Lake Michigan Railroad Company, which planned to build a line from Sheboygan to the more inland village of

Cascade Cascade, or Cascading may refer to: Science and technology Science * Air shower (physics), a cascade (particle shower) of subatomic particles and ionized nuclei ** Particle shower, a cascade of secondary particles produced as the result of a high ...

. In 1855, he was elected Mayor of Sheboygan, serving until his defeat in the 1858 election. Concurrent to his mayoral term, he was elected to the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those o ...

for the

1857 Events January–March * January 1 – The biggest Estonian newspaper, '' Postimees'', is established by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. * January 7 – The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company begins operating. * Ja ...

and

1858 Events January–March * January 9 ** Revolt of Rajab Ali: British forces finally defeat Rajab Ali Khan of Chittagong. ** Anson Jones, the last president of the Republic of Texas, commits suicide. * January 14 – Orsini affair: Pi ...

sessions, defeating incumbent Republican David Taylor. Subsequent to his Senate term, Cook moved to

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse ( ) is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population was 52,680 as of the 202 ...

, where he practiced law for a few years. In 1862, he moved to

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. In March 1867, he slipped and broke his leg on a patch of icy sidewalk near his office, sustaining an injury that would leave him dependent on

crutch A crutch is a mobility aid that transfers weight from the human leg, legs to the upper body. It is often used by people who cannot use their legs to support their weight, for reasons ranging from short-term injuries to lifelong disabilities. Hi ...

es for the rest of his life. He

sued A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. T ...

the city of Milwaukee for damages. Though he was initially successful in the circuit court, the city appealed to the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the Supreme court, highest and final court of appeals in the state judicial system of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. In addition to hearing appeals of lower Wisconsin court decisions, the Wisconsin Supreme Court also ...

and had the earlier decision vacated. Cook tried again, resulting in a similar outcome. Years later, Cook broke his leg again at the same place in Milwaukee, resulting in a paralysis of one side of his body that resulted in his retirement from his legal career. After his retirement, he returned to La Crosse, where his daughter still resided. He died at his home in La Crosse in October 1886, at age 80.

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Elijah Fox 1805 births 1886 deaths People from Palatine, New York People from Farmington, Michigan People from Michigan Territory Politicians from La Crosse, Wisconsin Politicians from Milwaukee People from Sheboygan, Wisconsin Michigan lawyers Wisconsin lawyers Michigan state senators Wisconsin state senators Mayors of Sheboygan, Wisconsin Lawyers from Milwaukee People from Pontiac, Michigan 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature 19th-century members of the Michigan Legislature 19th-century mayors of places in Wisconsin

Biography

See also

References

External links