George Washington Cook (November 10, 1851 – December 18, 1916) was a

U.S. Representative 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 c ...

from

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. At eleven years of age, he ran away from home to serve during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. He was a drummer boy and then a chief regimental clerk. After the war, he completed his public school education and then attended

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

. His varied career included working for railroad and mining companies, and service as a mayor and a legislator. He was department commander for the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

Early life

Born in

Bedford, Indiana Bedford is a city in Shawswick Township, Lawrence County, Indiana, Shawswick Township and the county seat of Lawrence County, Indiana, Lawrence County, Indiana, United States. In the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 13,7 ...

, his parents were Agnes (Dodson) and Samuel Cook. His great-grandfather, George W. Cook, served in the American Revolutionary War from North Carolina. His maternal grandfather served as a major in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. At the age of eleven Cook ran away from home to enlist during the

. His father served in the 13th Indiana Cavalry Regiment as a lieutenant and died of disease during the war or from wounds he received. His only brother was a bugler in his father's regiment and died at age 15 during the war.

Civil War

He enlisted in the

15th Indiana Infantry Regiment The 15th Indiana Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 15th Indiana Infantry was organized at Lafayette, Indiana for a one-year enlistment in May 1861. It was subsequen ...

, in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

and served as a drummer boy for a number of regiments in the

Army of the Cumberland The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio. History The origin of the Army of the Cumberland dates back to the creation ...

. He was transferred to the 155th Indiana Infantry Regiment, and served as chief regimental clerk, a position he assumed at age 14. He was the youngest chief regimental clerk in the Union Army. He was with General

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...

Sherman's March to the Sea Sherman's March to the Sea (also known as the Savannah campaign or simply Sherman's March) was a military campaign of the American Civil War conducted through Georgia from November 15 until December 21, 1864, by William Tecumseh Sherman, major ...

and served until the end of the war.

Education

At the close of the

, he attended the public schools,

Bedford Academy Bedford Academy (formerly John Bunyan Upper School) is a mixed secondary school and sixth form located in the Kingsbrook area of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. The school mainly attracts pupils from the Kingsbrook, Cauldwell and Newnham ar ...

, and

Career

In 1872, he had a job for a railroad in Chicago. He was in Chicago in 1880 when he entered the employ of the Louisville, New Albany, and Chicago Railway. Cook moved to

Leadville, Colorado The City of Leadville is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Statutory city, statutory city that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only List of municipalities in Colorado, incorporated municipality in Lake County, Colorad ...

, in 1880 and became division superintendent of the

Denver & Rio Grande Railroad The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south from De ...

. He suspended railroad service and organized a group to save 100 miners who were trapped in the Homestake mine by a snowslide near Leadville. During another winter storm when people began to starve, he hired 1000 miners to clear the railroad tracks so that Leadville could receive food shipments. He served as mayor of

Leadville The City of Leadville is a statutory city that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only incorporated municipality in Lake County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 2,602 at the 2010 census and an estimated ...

from 1885 to 1887. He moved to Denver in 1888 and became general sales agent for the

Colorado Fuel and Iron The Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (CF&I) was a large steel conglomerate founded by the merger of previous business interests in 1892.Scamehorn, Chapter 1, "The Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, 1892-1903" page 10 By 1903 it was mainly owned and co ...

and became department commander of the

for Colorado and Wyoming in 1891 and 1892. He became an independent mining operator in 1893 and became senior vice commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic in 1905 and 1906. He also organized and commanded the Cook Drum Corps of

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Congress

Cook was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the

60th Congress The 60th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1907, to M ...

(March 4, 1907 – March 3, 1909) but was not a candidate for renomination in 1908.

Later career and death

After leaving office, Cook returned to Colorado and resumed mining operations. He lived in Denver that later part of his life, until about 1914 when his mental state declines and he was admitted into a state asylum in

Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo () is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality of Pueblo County, Colorado, Pueblo County, Colorado ...

and died there on December 18, 1916. He was interred in Fairmount Cemetery in Denver.

Personal life

He married Nina Florence, the daughter of John Boyle, a Canadian merchant. They had one son, George Washington Cook, Jr. who was first lieutenant of the 43rd Infantry.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, George Washington 1851 births 1916 deaths People from Bedford, Indiana Union Army soldiers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Colorado 19th-century American politicians People from Leadville, Colorado Grand Army of the Republic officials