Katherine M. Cook (1876–1962) was an American educator and government official who specialized in

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

education. After serving as

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

state superintendent of public instruction, she 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 ...

, where she served as Chief, Division of Rural Education, at the U.S. Bureau of Education, and Chief, Division of Special Problems, Office of Education, in the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW).

Early life and education

Katherine Margaret O'Brien was born in

Lanesboro, Minnesota Lanesboro is a city in Fillmore County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 754 at the 2010 census. It was named after F. A. Lane, an early landowner. The South Branch of the Root River flows through it, with a waterfall dam across ...

, on May 15, 1876. Her parents were Daniel and Elizabeth (Monahan) O'Brien. She was educated at West High School

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

; State Teachers College,

Greeley, Colorado Greeley is the home rule municipality city that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Weld County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,795 at the 2020 United States census, an increase of 17.12% since the ...

(A.B. degree, 1910);

Teachers College, Columbia University Teachers College, Columbia University (TC) is the graduate school of education affiliated with Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, Teachers College has been a part of Columbia University since ...

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(A.M. degree, 1912).

Career

Cook taught at rural schools in Colorado, and elementary schools in Denver. She served as county superintendent of schools,

Adams County, Colorado Adams County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 519,572. The county seat is Brighton, and the largest city is Thornton. The county is named for Alva Adams, an early Go ...

(1905-09); Colorado state superintendent of public instruction (1909-10); principal of the Nevada County Normal School in

Panaca, Nevada Panaca is an unincorporated town in eastern Lincoln County, Nevada, United States, on State Route 319, about east of U.S. Route 93, near the border with Utah. Its elevation is above sea level. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of ...

, and principal of the County High School (1912-15). On February 1, 1915, in Washington, D.C., she joined the Division of Rural Education at the U.S. Bureau of Education, serving as secretary before becoming the division chief in 1922. In 1946, she retired from her government position of chief, Division of Special Problems, Office of Education, at HEW. She was the author of numerous bulletins and leaflets of the Bureau of Education. She was also a contributor to educational magazines such as ''Journal of Rural Education'', ''School and Society'', and ''School Board Journal'' on various educational subjects. Cook was the co-author of ''The Consolidation of Rural schools'' and a contributor to ''Book of Rural Life''. Cook was a member of

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college st ...

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, and American Country Life Association.

Personal life

In June 1896, she married Charles K. Cook, of Denver. They had one son who died young. In politics, she was a Democrat. In religion, she was Catholic. In February 1915, she left Denver and became a resident of Washington, D.C. Katherine Cook died

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially Unincorporated area, unincorporated, it is an edge city with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ...

, June 5, 1962; interment was in Denver.

Selected works

* ''School laws of the state of Colorado. U.S.A.'' (1909) * ''Educational survey of Wyoming'' (1917) * ''Report of an inquiry into the administration and support of the Colorado school system'' (1917), with A. C. Monahan * ''Feasibility of consolidating the schools of Mount Joy Township, Adams County, Pa.'' (1920) * ''Suggestions for consolidating the rural schools of Beaufort County, North Carolina : a digest of the report'' (1923), with E. E. Windes * ''Constructive tendencies in rural education'' (1925) * ''The house of the people; an account of Mexico's new schools of action'' (1932) * ''Public education in Puerto Rico'' (1934) * ''Public education in the Virgin Islands'' (1934) * ''Public education in the Philippine islands ...'' (1935) * ''Public education in Hawaii'' (1936) * ''Native and minority groups'' (1937) * ''Public education in the Panama Canal zone'' (1939) * ''Opportunities for the preparation of teachers in conservation education'' (1940), with Florence Evan Reynolds * ''Opportunities for the preparation of teachers in the use of visual aids in instruction'' (1940), with Florence Evan Reynolds * ''State postwar planning in education : some results'' (1946)

References

External links

Biographical Sketch of Katherine Cook
written by Caitlin Sharpe, via

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Katherine M. 1876 births 1962 deaths People from Lanesboro, Minnesota People from Denver 20th-century people from Washington, D.C. 20th-century American educators 20th-century American non-fiction writers Educators from Minnesota Educators from Denver Educators from Washington, D.C. Writers from Minnesota Writers from Denver Writers from Washington, D.C. University of Northern Colorado alumni Teachers College, Columbia University alumni United States Department of Education officials United States Department of Health and Human Services officials National Education Association people American Association of University Women State superintendents of public instruction of the United States Catholics from Minnesota