John Warren Cooke
| John Warren Cooke | |
|---|---|
| 50th Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates | |
|
In office 1968–1979 |
|
| Preceded by | E. Blackburn Moore |
| Succeeded by | A. L. Philpott |
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 32nd, 31st and 48th district |
|
|
In office 1942–1979 |
|
| Preceded by | James Bland Martin |
| Succeeded by | Harvey Morgan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 28, 1915 Mathews, Virginia |
| Died | November 28, 2009 (aged 94) Mathews County, Virginia |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Anne Brown Rawn |
| Children | Giles Cooke, Elsa Verbyla |
| Residence | Mathews, Virginia |
| Alma mater | Virginia Military Institute |
| Profession | Newspaper publisher |
John Warren Cooke (February 28, 1915 – November 28, 2009) was an American politician and newspaper publisher. A Democrat, he served in the Virginia House of Delegates 1942–1980 and was its Speaker from 1968 until his retirement.
Cooke was born in Mathews, Virginia, to Giles Buckner Cooke and the former Katharine Grosh. His father, an Episcopal minister, had been a major in the Confederate States Army, serving on the personal staff of Robert E. Lee.
Attending both public and private schools, Cooke graduated from Lee-Jackson High School in Mathews. He spent one year at the Virginia Military Institute, then went to work for the Mathews County government, serving as clerk of the county school board, among other tasks.
Cooke married Anne Brown Rawn of Huntington, West Virginia on May 10, 1947. They had a son and a daughter.
Cooke was president of Tidewater Newspapers, Inc. in Gloucester, Virginia and published the Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal newspaper from 1954 until March 2009.
Cooke was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1941, representing Mathews and Gloucester Counties on the Middle Peninsula. The seat had been briefly held by James Bland Martin, and before that for many years by John Tabb DuVal of Gloucester County, although for four years (1929-1933) it had been held by Emma Lee Smith White of Mathews, and Cooke later said that until postwar redistricting, an informal understanding had been that a person from Gloucester County would serve two terms, then allow someone from Mathews county to hold the office. In 1944, Middlesex County was added to the district. That same year, he became secretary of the House Democratic caucus.
...
Wikipedia