Ira Cook (October 6, 1821 - March 11, 1902) was an American

surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. These points are usually on the ...

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

tax collector A tax collector (also called a taxman) is a person who collects unpaid taxes from other people or corporations on behalf of a government. The term could also be applied to those who audit tax returns or work for a revenue agency. Tax collec ...

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

member, investor and entrepreneur from

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

Background

Cook was born October 6, 1821, in the Town of Union, Broome County, New York. His father, one sister and her husband moved to

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

in 1835 and settled on land in what is now

Davenport Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality *Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta **District Council of Davenport, former local govern ...

. Ira and the remainder of his family moved to Iowa in the spring of 1836. He lived in

Tipton, Iowa Tipton ( /ˈtɪptən/) is a city in Cedar County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,149 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Cedar County. History Tipton was platted within Center Township in 1840 and was named for ...

, from 1838 to 1941, working on the family farm and having the chance to meet then Iowa Territorial Governor Robert Lucas.

Early career

In 1849, he teamed with John Evans on a contract which began his four-plus year career as a government surveyor. After leaving his surveying career and Davenport, Cook moved to Des Moines in 1855 and entered the banking business with the firm of Cook, Sargent & Cook. He married Mary C. Owens on April 25, 1854. He and his wife were given a three-year-old girl to care for by the child's father in 1857. Fearful that they might lose the child due to provisions in her father's will, Cook consulted with John A. Kasson, then practicing law in Des Moines. Together they drafted a bill concerning the adoption of children in Iowa. When the bill passed, the Cooks promptly adopted the little girl, raising her as their own. Mary gave birth to a daughter of their own on June 5, 1859, Rachel Faxton Cook, and their second child was Carrie L. Cook.

Mayoralty, Washington and return

He was elected mayor of

, in 1861 and resigned not long after. Beginning in 1860 he engaged in insurance and real estate with C. C. Dawson. He moved to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, in 1862 and assumed a position in the

Post Office Department The United States Post Office Department (USPOD; also known as the Post Office or U.S. Mail) was the predecessor of the United States Postal Service, established in 1792. From 1872 to 1971, it was officially in the form of a Cabinet departme ...

. He took a position as a Deputy United States Revenue Collector in 1864. In 1866, he moved back to Des Moines and was elected to two terms on the city council.

Investments

In 1875, he became a stockholder in the Iowa Loan and Trust Company, one of the most important financial institutions in the State of Iowa at the time. In 1880, he was elected one of Iowa Loan and Trust Companies

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, refers to anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the ...

s. In 1896, he partnered with G. M. Hippee and others to form the Des Moines Syrup Refining Company, which operated to make syrup, sugar, and glucose from corn. Cook wrote a number of articles that were published in different newspapers in the state. He wrot
"Government Surveying in Early Iowa"
published in the January 1897, issue o

Death

He died March 11, 1902 and was buried in Woodland Cemetery in Des Moines. Visitors to the State Historical Museum in Des Moines will find Ira Cook featured in the "You Gotta Know the Territory" exhibit.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Ira 1821 births 1902 deaths American bankers Burials at Woodland Cemetery (Des Moines, Iowa) Businesspeople from Iowa Iowa city council members Mayors of Des Moines, Iowa People from Broome County, New York Politicians from Davenport, Iowa People from Tipton, Iowa 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century mayors of places in Iowa