John Dillard Cook (1792 – 1852) was a justice of the

Supreme Court of Missouri The Supreme Court of Missouri (SCOMO) is the highest court in the state of Missouri. It was established in 1820 and is located at 207 West High Street in Jefferson City, Missouri. Missouri voters have approved changes in the state's constituti ...

from November 1820 to May 1823. Born in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, Cook

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

with a

Frankfort, Kentucky Frankfort is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city and the county seat, seat of Franklin County, Kentucky, Franklin County in the Upland Sou ...

, lawyer to gain

admission to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

. Cook moved Missouri during territorial days, and was a member of the convention which framed the state's first constitution. He served as judge of the Supreme Court for two years before resigning to accept an appointment to the state circuit court.L. C. Krauthoff, "The Supreme Court of Missouri", in

Horace Williams Fuller Horace Williams Fuller (June 15, 1844 – October 26, 1901) was an American lawyer and editor who served as the first editor of ''The Green Bag'', a late-19th- and early-20th century legal news and humor magazine. Life and career Born in Aug ...

, ed., '' The Green Bag'' (1891), Vol. 3, p. 165-66. Cook was one of the first three judges appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court, following the admission of the state to the Union.L. C. Krauthoff, "The Supreme Court of Missouri", in

, ed., '' The Green Bag'' (1891), Vol. 3, p. 157. An account of his time on the supreme court states: He lived in

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 ...

, and died there around the age of 60.

References

1792 births 1852 deaths U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Judges of the Supreme Court of Missouri {{Missouri-state-judge-stub