John Cook (governor) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

John Cook was an American planter and politician from Smyrna, in Kent County, Delaware. He served in the Delaware General Assembly and as Governor of Delaware.

Early life and family

Cook was born in Duck Creek, now Smyrna, son of John and Margaret Cook. He married Elizabeth Collins, the sister of later State President Thomas Collins and they had five children: Sarah, Margaret, Elizabeth, Michael, and Robert. He was a prosperous farmer and tanner and gradually acquired a considerable amount of land in the area. Included in the property at one time was Belmont Hall, the home of Thomas Collins. The Cook home, however, was probably to the west of the present U.S. Highway 13, across the road from Belmont Hall. They were members of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Smyrna.

Professional and political career

Cook was Sheriff of Kent County from 1772 until 1778, just before the American Revolution. Like many of his Anglican neighbors in Kent County, Cook was fundamentally opposed to the break with Great Britain and was counted among the conservatives whose loyalty to the new government was suspect. However, he was personally liked and was elected to the more conservative Delaware Constitutional Convention of 1776 and to the first State House for the 1776/77 session.

In July 1777 Cook was named one of the associate justices of the new State Supreme Court. Before he was allowed to take office, however, the appointment was blocked and David Finney, the cousin of Thomas McKean

Thomas McKean

Thomas McKean was an American lawyer and politician from New Castle, in New Castle County, Delaware and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During the American Revolution he was a delegate to the Continental Congress where he signed the United States Declaration of Independence and the Articles of...

, was given the seat. At the height of the American Revolution, no one lukewarm to the cause would be able to get such a position easily.

Regardless, he was popular enough in Kent County to be elected again to the House of Assembly for the 1778/79 session, and in the 1780/81 session he began a term in the Legislative Council

Delaware Senate

The Delaware Senate is the upper house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Delaware. It is composed of 21 Senators, each of whom is elected to a four-year term, except when reapportionment occurs, at which time Senators may be elected to a two-year term....

, later known as the State Senate. Cook was Speaker in the 1782/83 session when President John Dickinson resigned, thereby becoming President of Delaware himself. His succession was controversial, however, and was not generally agreed to until he agreed to serve only until a special election could be held to select a President. He served as President from November 4, 1782 until February 1, 1783, when the special election was held. He was back in the State House for a term in 1783/84, and again in 1786/87, and finished his legislative career with two years in the Legislative Council, beginning with the 1787/88 session. He was still in office when he died.

During his tenure as President the noted loyalist Cheney Clow

Cheney Clow

Cheney Clow was a loyalist from Delaware during the American Revolution who staged a rebellion against the colonial government that was advocating separation from Great Britain.-Early life:...

was brought to trial for treason. The trial was presided over by two ardent revolutionaries, William Killen and David Finney. During the proceedings Clow was able to produce papers to prove his claim to have had a British commission and the jury acquitted him. In spite of this his enemies insisted on continuing to hold him in prison for reimbursement of damages caused.

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly
Delaware General Assembly
The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...

(sessions while President)
|-
!Year
!Assembly
!
!Senate Majority
!Speaker
!
!House Majority
!Speaker
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|1782/83
|7th

Delaware General Assembly

The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...

Death and legacy

Cook died at Duck Creek, now Smyrna, and was buried there in an unmarked grave at St. Peter's Episcopal Church Cemetery. His daughter, Sarah, married future Governor John Clark

John Clark (governor)

John Clark was an American farmer and politician from Blackbird Hundred in New Castle County, Delaware, near Smyrna...

.

No known portrait of John Cook exists.

Almanac

Elections were held October 1st and members of the General Assembly took office on October 20th or the following weekday. The State Legislative Council was created in 1776 and its Legislative Councilmen had a three year term. State Assemblymen had a one year term. The whole General Assembly chose the State President for a three year term. The county sheriff also had a three year term. However, Cook served as State President only temporarily, filling the vacancy created by the resignation of John Dickinson and awaiting the selection of a successor by the General Assembly.

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
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!colspan=8 style="background: #ccccff;" | Public Offices
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! Office
! Type
! Location
! Began office
! Ended office
! notes
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|Sheriff

Sheriff

A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....

|Judiciary

Judiciary

The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...

|Dover

Dover, Delaware

The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...

|1772
|1778
|Kent County

Kent County, Delaware

Kent County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is coextensive with the Dover, Delaware, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 the population was 162,310, a 28.1% increase over the previous decade. The county seat is Dover, the state capital...

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|Delegate
|Convention

Constitutional convention (political meeting)

A constitutional convention is now a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution. A general constitutional convention is called to create the first constitution of a political unit or to entirely replace an existing constitution...

|Dover

Dover, Delaware

|August 27, 1776
|September 20, 1776
|State Constitution

Constitutional convention (political meeting)

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|Assemblyman

Delaware House of Representatives

The Delaware House of Representatives is the lower house of the Delaware General Assembly; the state legislature of the U.S. State of Delaware. It is composed of 41 Representatives from an equal amount of constituencies, each of whom is elected to a two year term. The Delaware General Assembly...

|Legislature

Legislature

A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...

|New Castle

New Castle, Delaware

New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, six miles south of Wilmington, situated on the Delaware River. In 1900, 3,380 people lived here; in 1910, 3,351...

Delaware House of Representatives

|Legislature

Legislature

|Dover

Dover, Delaware

Delaware Senate

|Legislature

Legislature

|Dover

Dover, Delaware

Executive (government)

Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...

|Dover

Dover, Delaware

Delaware House of Representatives

|Legislature

Legislature

|Dover

Dover, Delaware

Delaware House of Representatives

|Legislature

Legislature

|Dover

Dover, Delaware

Delaware Senate

|Legislature

Legislature

|Dover

Dover, Delaware

|October 20, 1787
|October 26, 1789
|

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
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!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly service
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! Dates
! Assembly
! Chamber
! Majority
! Governor
! Committees
! District
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|1776/77
|1st

Delaware General Assembly

|State House

Delaware House of Representatives

|non-partisan
|John McKinly

John McKinly

Dr. John McKinly was an American physician and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a veteran of the French and Indian War, served in the Delaware General Assembly, was the first elected President of Delaware, and for a time was a member of the Federalist Party.-Early...

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|Kent at-large

Kent County, Delaware

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|1778/79
|3rd

Delaware General Assembly

|State House

Delaware House of Representatives

|non-partisan
|Caesar Rodney

Caesar Rodney

Caesar Rodney was an American lawyer and politician from St. Jones Neck in Dover Hundred, Kent County, Delaware, east of Dover...

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|Kent at-large

Kent County, Delaware

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|1780/81
|5th

Delaware General Assembly

|State Council

Delaware Senate

|non-partisan
|Caesar Rodney

Caesar Rodney

Caesar Rodney was an American lawyer and politician from St. Jones Neck in Dover Hundred, Kent County, Delaware, east of Dover...

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|Kent at-large

Kent County, Delaware

|-
|1781/82
|6th

Delaware General Assembly

|State Council

Delaware Senate

|non-partisan
|Caesar Rodney

Caesar Rodney

Caesar Rodney was an American lawyer and politician from St. Jones Neck in Dover Hundred, Kent County, Delaware, east of Dover...

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|Kent at-large

Kent County, Delaware

|-
|1782/83
|7th

Delaware General Assembly

|State Council

Delaware Senate

|non-partisan
|Nicholas Van Dyke

Nicholas Van Dyke (governor)

Nicholas Van Dyke was an American lawyer and politician from New Castle, in New Castle County, Delaware. He served in the Delaware General Assembly, as a Continental Congressman from Delaware, and as President of Delaware.-Early life and family:Van Dyke was born at Berwick, his family's home in St...

| Speaker

Speaker (politics)

The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...

|Kent at-large

Kent County, Delaware

|-
|1783/84
|8th

Delaware General Assembly

|State House

Delaware House of Representatives

|non-partisan
|Nicholas Van Dyke

Nicholas Van Dyke (governor)

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|Kent at-large

Kent County, Delaware

|-
|1786/87
|11th

Delaware General Assembly

|State House

Delaware House of Representatives

|non-partisan
|Thomas Collins

Thomas Collins (governor)

Thomas Collins was an American planter and politician from Smyrna, in Kent County, Delaware. He was an officer of the Delaware militia during the American Revolution, and served in the Delaware General Assembly and as President of Delaware.-Early life and family:Collins was born in Duck Creek, now...

| Speaker

Speaker (politics)

|Kent at-large

Kent County, Delaware

|-
|1787/88
|12th

Delaware General Assembly

|State Council

Delaware Senate

|non-partisan
|Thomas Collins

Thomas Collins (governor)

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|Kent at-large

Kent County, Delaware

|-
|1788/89
|13th

Delaware General Assembly

|State Council

Delaware Senate

|non-partisan
|Thomas Collins

Thomas Collins (governor)

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|Kent at-large

Kent County, Delaware

External links

Places with more information

Delaware Historical Society
Delaware Historical Society
The Delaware Historical Society began in 1864 as an effort to preserve documents from the Civil War. Since then, it has expanded into a state-wide historical institution with several venues and a major museum in Wilmington and the historic Read House & Gardens in New Castle.The society...

; website; 505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161
University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...

; Library website; 181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965

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