Charles Mather Cooke (10 March 1844 – 16 January 1920) was a North Carolina politician who served as Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives (1881) and as North Carolina Secretary of State (1895–1897). Cooke studied at Wake Forest College but did not graduate, and served in the 55th North Carolina Regiment during the American Civil War. After the war, he entered into the practice of law in Louisburg, North Carolina, at first in partnership with future congressman and N.C. Supreme Court justice

Joseph J. Davis Joseph Jonathan Davis (April 13, 1828 – August 7, 1892) was an American lawyer and judge who represented his native North Carolina's 4th congressional district from 1875 to 1881. Biography Born near the small North Carolina town of Louisburg, ...

.Joseph J. Davis
Cooke, a

Democrat 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 ...

, represented Franklin County in both houses of the state legislature at various times in the 1870s and 1880s. From 1877 to 1878, he was solicitor (prosecuting attorney) for the Sixth District. Cooke made an unsuccessful run for Congress in 1894, losing to William F. Strowd. He was appointed to the office of Secretary of State by Gov.

Elias Carr Elias Carr (February 25, 1839 – July 22, 1900) was an American planter, lawyer, and politician who served as the 48th governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1893 to 1897. A building on the campus of the University of North Carolina a ...

in 1895 upon the death of

Octavius Coke Octavius Coke (October 4, 1840 – August 30, 1895) was an American lawyer and politician. A Democrat, he served in the North Carolina Senate and as North Carolina Secretary of State from 1891 to 1895. Born in Virginia, he read law and opened a l ...

. He was defeated for election to a full term in 1896 by Populist

Cyrus Thompson Cyrus Thompson (1855–1930) was a politician and leader of the Populist Party in the U.S. state of North Carolina. He served as North Carolina Secretary of State for one term, from 1897 to 1901. Thompson, a medical doctor and farmer, represent ...

. In 1902, Cooke was elected as a state

superior court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

judge, serving from 1903 until 1915. His childhood home, Cooke House near Louisburg, North Carolina, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

References

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North Carolina lawyers Democratic Party North Carolina state senators North Carolina state court judges Secretaries of State of North Carolina 1920 deaths 1844 births Confederate States Army soldiers People from Louisburg, North Carolina Speakers of the North Carolina House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives People of North Carolina in the American Civil War 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American legislators 20th-century American judges Wake Forest University alumni {{NorthCarolina-politician-stub