John Henry Cooke (June 29, 1911 – March 31, 1998) was an American lawyer and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Life

He was born on June 29, 1911, in Jamestown,

Chautauqua County, New York Chautauqua County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 127,657. Its county seat is Mayville, and its largest city is Jamestown. Its name is believed to be the lone surviving rem ...

, the son of Congressman Edmund F. Cooke (1885–1967) and Jennie Olivia (Swanson) Cooke (1884–1972). He attended Alden High School, and Central High School in

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 ...

He graduated from

Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee or W&L) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. Established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, it is among ...

. He began to practice law in

Alden Alden may refer to: Places United States *Alden, California, a former settlement * Alden, Illinois *Alden, Iowa * Alden, Kansas * Alden, Michigan * Alden, Minnesota * Alden, Oklahoma * Alden, Pennsylvania * Alden, New York ** Alden (village), New ...

in 1937, and entered politics as a Republican. He married Eleanor Jean Anson (1915–2003), and they had two children. Cooke was Supervisor of the Town of Alden from 1943 to 1950; Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Erie County in 1950; and a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...

from 1951 to 1962, sitting in the 168th, 169th, 170th, 171st, 172nd and

173rd New York State Legislature The 173rd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 4, 1961, to March 31, 1962, during the third and fourth years of Nelson Rockefeller's governorship, in Albany. Ba ...

s. On March 30, 1962, he was appointed by Gov.

Nelson Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich "Rocky" Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979) was the 41st vice president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford. He was also the 49th governor of New York, serving from 1959 to 197 ...

to the

New York Court of Claims The New York State Court of Claims is the court of the New York State Unified Court System which handles all claims against the State of New York and certain state agencies. Judges Judges of the Court of Claims are appointed by the Governor of ...

. He became Presiding Judge of the Court of Claims in 1973, and retired from the bench in 1978. He died on March 31, 1998, in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

;"COOKE, JOHN H."
at Social Security Info and was buried at the Forest Lawn Cemetery there. State Senator Richard T. Cooke (1913–2003) was his brother.

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooke, John H. 1911 births 1998 deaths Politicians from Buffalo, New York Republican Party New York (state) state senators Politicians from Jamestown, New York Washington and Lee University alumni 20th-century New York state court judges Town supervisors in New York (state) Burials at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Buffalo) 20th-century American lawyers Lawyers from Buffalo, New York 20th-century members of the New York State Legislature