Charles Mather Cooke (10 March 1844 – 16 January 1920) was a

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

politician who served as

Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives The Speaker of the North Carolina North Carolina House of Representatives, House of Representatives is the presiding officer of one of the houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The Speaker is elected by the members of the house when they ...

(1881) and as

North Carolina Secretary of State The North Carolina Secretary of State is an elected constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of North Carolina, and is fourth in the line of succession to the office of Governor of North Carolina. The se ...

(1895–1897). Cooke studied at

Wake Forest College Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

but did not graduate, and served in the 55th North Carolina Regiment during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. After the war, he entered into the practice of law in

Louisburg, North Carolina Louisburg is a town in Franklin County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 3,064. It is the county seat of Franklin County. The town is located approximately 29 miles northeast of the state capital, Ral ...

, 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, N ...

.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 A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

in 1894, losing to

William F. Strowd William Franklin Strowd (December 7, 1832 – December 12, 1911) was an American farmer and Confederate States Army, Confederate American Civil War veteran who served two terms as a Populist Party (United States), Populist United States House of ...

. 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. 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 The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1975.

References

OurCampaigns.com biography
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