Lorrin Alanson Cooke (April 6, 1831 – August 12, 1902) was an American

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and the 57th governor of Connecticut from 1897 to 1899.

Biography

Cooke was born in

New Marlborough, Massachusetts New Marlborough is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,528 at the 2020 census. New Marlborough consists of five villages: Cla ...

, the son of Levi Cooke and Amelia (Todd) Cooke. He was educated at Norfolk Academy in

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, For several years after high school, he taught school in the

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

area in the winter and worked on his father's farm in the summer. By 1850, when Lorrin was nineteen, the Cooke family had moved to Colebrook. As a young farmer, he wanted to learn about and use the latest developments in agriculture. He joined the local agricultural society, was elected president, and his leadership began to develop.

Career

Cooke worked with railroad officials to route a train through the remote Colebrook area, increasing sales as produce was freighted to the big city, and the town prospered. His election to the

Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. The ...

as the representative from the town of Colebrook in 1856, when he was only 25 years old, gave him his first experiences in state politics. He was married in 1858 to Matilda Eunice Webster, and married Josephine Ward in 1870. He had no children with his first wife and three with his second; Edward, Ward, and Edna. Only Edna lived to adulthood. Cooke served as postmaster for

Riverton, Connecticut Riverton is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Barkhamsted, Connecticut, Barkhamsted, Litchfield County, Connecticut, Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is in the northwes ...

, from 1877 to 1881, as state senator for the 18th District in the

Connecticut State Senate The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Sena ...

from 1883 to 1885, and was President Pro Tempore of the Senate from 1884 to 1885. In 1885 Cooke became the 62nd lieutenant governor of Connecticut. He held that position from 1885 to 1887. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention from Connecticut in 1892. He served again (as the 66th lieutenant governor) from 1895 to 1897. Cooke was elected the

governor of Connecticut The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Connecticut Military Department, military forces. The Governor (United States), governor has a duty to enforce state laws, ...

in 1896, and served from January 6, 1897, to January 4, 1899. During his term, he was successful in his attempts in leaving a financially sound state treasury, even with increased governmental expenditures, which resulted from the outbreak of the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

. After leaving the office, Cooke remained active in civic events.

Death

Cooke died in

Winsted, Connecticut Winsted is a census-designated place and an incorporated city in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is part of the town of Winchester, Connecticut, Winchester. The population of Winsted was 7,192 at the 2020 United States census, 2 ...

, on August 12, 1902. He is interred at Center Cemetery, Colebrook, Connecticut.

References

External links

* * Sobel, Robert and John Raimo. ''Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978''. Greenwood Press, 1988.
The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooke, Lorrin A. 1831 births 1902 deaths Politicians from Berkshire County, Massachusetts Republican Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Republican Party Connecticut state senators Lieutenant governors of Connecticut Republican Party governors of Connecticut Presidents pro tempore of the Connecticut Senate American Congregationalists People from Colebrook, Connecticut 19th-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly