John Cooke (entrepreneur)
Encyclopedia
John Cooke was one of the principals of Cooke Locomotive Works, one of the constituent companies that made up American Locomotive Company
in the merger of 1901.
Cooke was born in Montreal, Canada
, but sought his fortune in the United States
. While a teenager, he was apprenticed to Thomas Rogers
(who founded the Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works
). His apprenticeship
worked out so well for the two of them that he was promoted to shop superintendent by 1843, a position he held until 1852.
When he left Rogers' employ, Cooke formed a partnership with Charles Danforth. The two founded the new locomotive manufacturing company of Danforth, Cooke and Company in Paterson, New Jersey
. Cooke's company became a serious competitor in the locomotive building business. After Cooke's death in 1882, his company, by that time renamed to Cooke Locomotive Works, became one of the constituent companies that made up the American Locomotive Company
in the merger of 1901.
American Locomotive Company
The American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO or Alco , was a builder of railroad locomotives in the United States.-Early history:...
in the merger of 1901.
Cooke was born in Montreal, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, but sought his fortune in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. While a teenager, he was apprenticed to Thomas Rogers
Thomas Rogers (locomotive builder)
Thomas Rogers was an American mechanical engineer and founder of Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works of Paterson, New Jersey...
(who founded the Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works
Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works
Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works was a 19th-century manufacturer of railroad steam locomotives based in Paterson, in Passaic County, New Jersey, in the United States. It built more than six thousand steam locomotives for railroads around the world. Most railroads in 19th-century United States...
). His apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
worked out so well for the two of them that he was promoted to shop superintendent by 1843, a position he held until 1852.
When he left Rogers' employ, Cooke formed a partnership with Charles Danforth. The two founded the new locomotive manufacturing company of Danforth, Cooke and Company in Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson is a city serving as the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 146,199, rendering it New Jersey's third largest city and one of the largest cities in the New York City Metropolitan Area, despite a decrease of 3,023...
. Cooke's company became a serious competitor in the locomotive building business. After Cooke's death in 1882, his company, by that time renamed to Cooke Locomotive Works, became one of the constituent companies that made up the American Locomotive Company
American Locomotive Company
The American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO or Alco , was a builder of railroad locomotives in the United States.-Early history:...
in the merger of 1901.