Ebenezer Cooke (politician)

Ebenezer Cooke (14 May 1832 – 7 May 1907) was a South Australian accountant, Member of Parliament and Commissioner of Audit.

Cooke was born in London, England where his eldest brother, the Rev. John Cooke, was a noted Egyptologist and co-founder of The Freeman, a Baptist weekly newspaper.

In 1863 Ebenezer Cooke was sent out to the colony of South Australia by the English and Australian Copper Company as accountant for their smelting works in St. Vincent Street, Port Adelaide. He took on role of superintendent then (on the death of general manager James Hamilton in 1871) was officially appointed to that position, which he held until "headhunted" by the Public Service in 1882. He was replaced by Frederick Ireland who, like Cooke, was promoted from the post of Accountant.

On 1 March 1875 he was elected to the South Australian House of Assembly as member for Flinders, encompassing northern towns such as Port Augusta and Port Pirie with colleagues Patrick Boyce Coglin and John Williams. In 1878 he was re-elected for the same district, with William Ranson Mortlock taking the place of Williams. In 1881 Cooke was once more successful, his fellow-members being Mortlock and A. Tennant.

On 31 July 1879 he was appointed chairman of the Royal Commission on Finance, which ran for nearly three years. The Commission's final report, dated 2 May 1882, recommended the creation of an Audit Office with two Commissioners of Audit. These recommendations were accepted with Cooke and Alfred Heath appointed to the top jobs. This necessitated his retirement from parliament; he resigned on 24 October 1882, though he did retain the position of attorney for the English and Australian Copper Company and directorship of the related English Copper Company.

...
Wikipedia