Rodney Mims Cook (March 23, 1924 – January 13, 2013) was a
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to t ...
public figure who served for over twenty years as an
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...
city
alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members them ...
and member of the
Georgia House of Representatives
The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. ...
.
Cook was one of the first Republican officials elected in Georgia since
Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...
. He served at-large as an Atlanta alderman and a member of the Georgia House simultaneously for a number of years. A law has since been passed to prohibit dual offices being held. He was heavily involved in legislative proposals in areas pertaining to
civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life ...
,
zoning
Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a s ...
,
urban renewal
Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of bligh ...
, the
Atlanta Airport
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...
, the
Interstate Highway system
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...
, and the Atlanta Stadium Authority housing the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in B ...
and
Atlanta Falcons professional sports teams. The commemorative plaques on these buildings including Hartsfield-Jackson International airport record his efforts.
Early life, education, and military service
Cook was born in Atlanta to James Leslie Cook and Bess Mims Cook. His father owned a number of men's clothing stores around the southeastern United States. Cook's mother, a member of the Mims family, have influenced the history of Georgia for over 200 years. Her grandfather's farm, called Red Oak, was destroyed by the invading army of General William T. Sherman during the Siege of Atlanta and the March to the Sea. The record of damages paid to this family by the Federal Government are in the archives of the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The librar ...
and include the family's efforts to bring about a peaceful conclusion to the Civil War.
Cook attended
Washington and Lee University
, mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future"
, established =
, type = Private liberal arts university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.092 billion (2021)
, president = William C. Dudley
, provost = Lena Hill
, city = Lexing ...
and graduated valedictorian and summa cum laude with a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
degree in 1947. His college education was interrupted by
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, during which Cook was a lieutenant in the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
in the
Pacific Theater
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
. He served on the which was hit by a
kamikaze
, officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to ...
pilot during the war, but he was uninjured.
[USS DuPage]
www.ussdupage.org[Rodney Mims Cook Papers, 1951–1978]
University of Georgia Libraries, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Career and politics
Upon leaving the military, Cook returned to Georgia and later, with Robert Mathis built the Peachtree Planning Corporation, an
insurance
Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...
company. He entered into the political arena in 1962 by serving as a member of the Atlanta Board of
Aldermen
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members th ...
, where he chaired the Planning and Development Committee and was a member of the Parks and Zoning Committees until 1970.
Cook was elected to the
Georgia House of Representatives
The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. ...
in 1965, and took office during the 1966 term. He was the first
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or again ...
elected county-wide in
Fulton County Fulton County is the name of eight counties in the United States of America. Most are named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the first practical steamboat:
*Fulton County, Arkansas, named after Governor William Savin Fulton
*Fulton County, Georgia
*F ...
to the
Georgia House of Representatives
The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. ...
. He remained in the legislature until 1972, serving as
chairman of the Joint Senate–House Committee on Computerized Criminal Records and as a member of the Appropriations, Ways and Means, and Industry Committees.
Cook unsuccessfully ran for
Mayor of Atlanta
Here is a list of mayors of Atlanta, Georgia. The mayor is the highest elected official in Atlanta. Since its incorporation in 1847, the city has had 61 mayors. The current mayor is Andre Dickens who was elected in the 2021 election and took o ...
in 1969, where he was defeated by
Sam Massell. He returned to the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
and became chairman of the
Georgia Republican Party
The Georgia Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Georgia and one of the two major political parties in the state and is currently chaired by David Shafer.
Current structure
David Shafer is the current ...
and later ran unsuccessfully for
Governor of Georgia
The governor of Georgia is the head of government of Georgia and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor also has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to either veto or approve bills passed by the Georgia Legi ...
in 1978 on the
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or again ...
ticket against
Democratic
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
incumbent
George Busbee
George Dekle Busbee Sr. (August 7, 1927 – July 16, 2004), was an American politician who served as the 77th Governor of the State of Georgia from 1975 to 1983, and a senior partner at King & Spalding thereafter.
Early life
Born in Vienna, Geo ...
. His leading the ticket created a Republican majority in the Georgia Delegation to the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washi ...
for the first time since
Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...
.
Involvement in civil rights

In 1962, Cook made a speech in the Georgia State Capitol to take down the "
Peyton Wall
Atlanta's Berlin Wall, also known as the Peyton Road Affair or the Peyton Wall, refers to an event during the civil rights movement in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, in 1962. On December 17 of that year, the government ...
," a barrier that was built to stop
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...
citizens from moving into a
white
White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
section of
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...
. His speech (, ) incited the
KKK
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Ca ...
to burn a cross on the lawn of his home in
Buckhead
Buckhead is the uptown commercial and residential district of the city of Atlanta, Georgia, comprising approximately the northernmost fifth of the city. Buckhead is the third largest business district within the Atlanta city limits, behind Downto ...
. He encouraged Atlanta citizens to participate in urban renewal and contested systems that discriminated against minorities, particularly in regard to housing rules.
[
He was one of just five white representatives (out of 205) who voted to seat the duly elected African American candidate ]Julian Bond
Horace Julian Bond (January 14, 1940 – August 15, 2015) was an American social activist, leader of the civil rights movement, politician, professor, and writer. While he was a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, during the e ...
in the state legislature in 1966. The legislature removed Bond due to his anti-war positions. The United States Supreme Court returned him to office.[
Cook was the lieutenant of Mayor's ]William B. Hartsfield
William Berry Hartsfield Sr. (March 1, 1890 – February 22, 1971), was an American politician who served as the 49th and 51st Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia. His tenure extended from 1937 to 1941 and again from 1942 to 1962, making him the longest-s ...
and Ivan Allen
Ivan Allen (June 29, 1930 – May 7, 2012) was an American ballet dancer who was active as a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre during the 1950s and early 1960s. He became a principal soloist with the Metropolitan Opera in 19 ...
, shepherding federal and state funding to the City of Atlanta resulting in unprecedented growth during the 1960s and 1970s. He counted Martin Luther King Sr.
Martin Luther King (born Michael King; December 19, 1899November 11, 1984) was an African-American Baptist pastor, missionary, and an early figure in the Civil Rights Movement. He was the father and namesake of the civil rights leader Martin Lut ...
, known as Daddy King, as a friend, and was instrumental, along with Mayor Allen and Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atla ...
CEO Robert Woodruff, in keeping Atlanta peaceful in the aftermath of the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
His career was championed by the Atlanta business community, particularly Mills B. Lane, Savannah native and CEO of the Citizens and Southern National Bank, (now Bank of America
The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank ...
), and also James D. Robinson Jr., CEO of the First National Bank of Atlanta, (now Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California; operational headquarters in Manhattan; and managerial offices throughout the United States and inter ...
). Cook championed the careers of Paul Coverdell
Paul Douglas Coverdell (January 20, 1939 – July 18, 2000) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Georgia, elected for the first time in 1992 and re-elected in 1998, and director of the Peace Corps from 1989 until ...
and Newt Gingrich, later a United States senator and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively. Both men were trusted advisors to Cook and Speaker Gingrich noted this in a speech he made on C-Span decades later.
view video here
The papers of Cook are housed at the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries.
Personal life
Cook first married Bettijo Hogan Cook, a member of the Sewell family. The Sewells arrived in America at Jamestown, Virginia in 1610 and later settled downriver at Sewell's Point, currently a United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
base. Mr. Cook was married to Sidney Adamson, of the Philadelphia Adamson's, from the 1970s until her death on 23 January 2002. In 2003 he married Lane Young of Savannah and Atlanta at Blenheim Palace.
Cook was the father of two daughters and a son. His son, Rodney Mims Cook Jr., is President of the National Monuments Foundation
The National Monuments Foundation is a non-profit organization that builds monuments, including the World Athletes Monument and the Millennium Gate.[Millennium Gate
The Millennium Gate Museum (also known as The Gate) is a triumphal arch and Georgia history museum located in Atlanta, on 17th Street in the Atlantic Station district of Midtown. The monument celebrates peaceful accomplishment .
History
The Mill ...]
at Atlantic Station
Atlantic Station is a neighborhood on the northwestern edge of Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States comprising a retail district, office space, condominiums, townhomes and apartment buildings. First planned in the mid-1990s and officially o ...
in Atlanta and is currently coordinating the design for the memorial to John Adams
John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...
and John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States S ...
in Washington.
Death
Cook died at his home in Atlanta on January 13, 2013, due to complications from heart failure. His funeral service was scheduled for January 19 at the Millennium Gate and Museum at Atlantic Station, to be followed by entombment in the Mims family vault at the Westview Abbey Mausoleum.
Cook was honored on Tuesday, January 15, 2013 in the Georgia House of Representatives Chamber Morning Order. The Honorable Joe Wilkinson delivered the . On Wednesday January 17, Cook lay in repose at the Gothic City Hall Chamber. He was the only person to have this honor since Mayor Maynard Jackson. Visitation was at home in the Alexandra Park Chapel where Cook's flag-draped coffin had an Honor Guard of U.S. Navy, Atlanta Fire Department and Atlanta Police Department officers.
On Saturday, January 19, 2013, Cook's funeral ceremony was held at the Millennium Gate. Hundreds attended the ceremony led by the Very Reverend Sam Candler, Dean of the Cathedral of St. Philip. Civil Rights leader Ambassador Andrew Young delivered the eulogy. St. Philip's Cathedral choir and the Higher Ground Empowerment Gospel Choir performed. Mayor Kasim Reed, Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran, and Police Chief George Turner sent a fire and police department Honor Guard to complement the full Military Honor Guard. Several fire engines and police cars were part of the funeral motorcade to Westview Abby Mausoleum where Cook was laid to rest in the Mims Family vault.
Memorials
Rodney Cook Sr. Park
Rodney Cook Sr. Park, is a park in the Vine City neighborhood of Atlanta, adjacent to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It is named after the politician Rodney Mims Cook Sr.
Rodney Mims Cook (March 23, 1924 – January 13, 2013) was a Georgia publi ...
, a new park in the Vine City
English Avenue and Vine City are two adjacent and closely linked neighborhoods of Atlanta, Georgia. Together the neighborhoods make up neighborhood planning unit L. The two neighborhoods are frequently cited together in reference to shared ...
neighborhood, was named after the public figure. Atlanta's Downtown Connector, where Interstates 75 and 85 join between Midtown and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, was named for Cook in 2014. The symbolic meanings for this honor were Cook's efforts as head of the Highway Commission to build the road, as well as his Civil Rights efforts to bring all Atlanta citizens together and keep Atlanta race relations peaceful.
References
* Gary M. Pomerantz, Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn, Rodney Cook 383, 389, 390, 391
* Atlanta Rising by Frederick Allen, Rodney Cook 163, 164, 165, 166; Atlanta Mayors' Race
* Atlanta and Environs by Garrett
* Notes on the 60s by Ivan Allen Jr.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Rodney Mims Sr.
1924 births
2013 deaths
Activists for African-American civil rights
Atlanta City Council members
Republican Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives
Washington and Lee University alumni
United States Navy personnel of World War II
United States Navy officers