Egbert Erle Cocke, Jr. (May 10, 1921April 23, 2000) was an American businessman and highly decorated

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

veteran who served as the 33rd National Commander of

The American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is made up of state, U.S. territory, and overseas departments, and these are in turn made up of l ...

from 1950 to 1951.

Early life and education

A native of Dawson, Georgia, Cocke was the son of Egbert Erle and India Elise ( Meadows) Cocke. He graduated from the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

(A.B., class of 1942), where he was a member of the

Phi Kappa Literary Society The Phi Kappa Literary Society is a college literary society, located at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, and is one of the few active literary societies left in America. Founded in 1820, the society continues to meet every academic ...

. In 1947, he received an M.B.A. from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. In later years Cocke received a total of three honorary doctorates from various universities.

World War II

Cocke was commissioned in the United States Army in 1942 and served in

. Later in 1951, when President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

relieved General of the Army Douglas MacArthur of his duties during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, Cocke would voice his support of MacArthur. Awards received during World War II include the Silver Star, the Bronze Star Medal,

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

with three

oak leaf clusters An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a speci ...

, and Croix de Guerre of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

The American Legion

Cocke served as the 33rd National Commander of The American Legion from 1950 to 1951. At age 29, He became the youngest person to command the Legion, the U.S.' largest wartime veterans' organization.

Career

Cocke was a banking consultant and lobbyist who did considerable work in business management and public relations. He co-founded Cocke & Phillips International Corporation, a banking consulting and lobbying firm founded in Washington, D.C. After serving as an aide to Secretary of State

George Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Chief of Staff of the US Army under Pre ...

and Secretary of Defense

Robert A. Lovett Robert Abercrombie Lovett (September 14, 1895May 7, 1986) was the fourth United States Secretary of Defense, having been promoted to this position from Deputy Secretary of Defense. He served in the cabinet of President Harry S. Truman from 1951 ...

, he was appointed a U.S. delegate to the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

by President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

in 1959. Cocke held a position in the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development during the administrations of Presidents

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

and

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

. In 1964 and 1966, Cocke ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for a seat in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

to represent

Georgia's 3rd congressional district Georgia's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. The district is currently represented by Republican Drew Ferguson. The district's boundaries have been redrawn following the 2010 census, which gra ...

Personal life

Cocke married Madelyn Grotnes on May 28, 1955, in Chicago. She had been a private secretary to Senator Joseph McCarthy. The couple had three daughters – Elise Carol Cocke, Jennifer Aline Cocke (Mrs. Gregg Carpenter), and Carolyn Laurine Cocke (Mrs. Jeffrey M. Whitsett) – and a son (Egbert Erle Cocke, III), who died. Both Cocke and his wife Madelyn are buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

.Burial Detail: Cocke, Erle (Section 34, Grave 602-11)
/ref>

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cocke, Jr., Erle 1921 births 2000 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century Baptists Baptists from Georgia (U.S. state) Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Businesspeople from Georgia (U.S. state) Deaths from pancreatic cancer Harvard Business School alumni Farmers from Georgia (U.S. state) Kennedy administration personnel Lyndon B. Johnson administration personnel National Commanders of the American Legion National Guard (United States) generals People from Dawson, Georgia Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Silver Star United States Army officers United States Army personnel of World War II University of Georgia alumni