Eugene Cook (April 12, 1904 – April 14, 1967) was an American jurist who served as

Attorney General of Georgia The Attorney General of Georgia is the chief law enforcement officer and lawyer for the U.S. state of Georgia. The officeholder is elected to a four-year term at the same time as elections are held for Governor of Georgia and other offices. The c ...

from 1945 to 1965, and as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia from 1965 to 1967. Born in

Wrightsville, Georgia Wrightsville is a city in Johnson County, Georgia, Johnson County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The population was 2,195 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, down from 2,223 at the 2000 census. The city limits include Joh ...

, Cook attended the public schools and received his undergraduate degree from

Mercer University Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 ...

, followed by a law degree from

Mercer University Law School Mercer University School of Law (historically Walter F. George School of Law) is the professional law school of Mercer University. Founded in 1873, it is one of the oldest law schools in the United States; the first law school accredited by the ...

in 1927.Achsah Nesmith, "Gunshot Is Fatal To Eugene Cook", ''The Atlanta Constitution'' (April 15, 1967), p. 1, 5. He was the

from 1945 to 1965, and a justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. He believed the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

was a communist organization. Despondent in the months following the death of his wife, Cook died of a

self-inflicted gunshot wound A suicide method is any means by which a person chooses to end their life. Suicide attempts do not always result in death, and a nonfatal suicide attempt can leave the person with serious physical injuries, long-term health problems, and brai ...

while still serving on the court."Frankum Named to Cook's Seat", ''The Atlanta Constitution'' (April 19, 1967), p. 1.

References

1904 births 1967 deaths People from Atlanta Georgia (U.S. state) Attorneys General Justices of the Supreme Court of Georgia (U.S. state) Suicides by firearm in Georgia (U.S. state) Mercer University alumni 20th-century American judges 1967 suicides {{GeorgiaUS-state-judge-stub