Major-General Sir Henry Frederick Cooke ('Kangkook') CB, KCH (bapt. 13 April 1783''London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538–1812'' – 10 March 1837), was a British soldier and

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...

politician. He was the son of George John Cooke of

Harefield Harefield is a village in the London Borough of Hillingdon, England, northwest of Charing Cross near Greater London's boundary with Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the north. The population at the 2011 Census was 7,399. Haref ...

, MP for

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

, and Penelope Bowyer, daughter of Sir William Bowyer, 3rd Baronet of Denham Court. His father, the son of George Cooke, descended from a line of prothonotaries of the

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

. He was the younger brother of Lieutenant-General Sir George Cooke, and of Edward Cooke R.N.; his sister Penelope Anne was married to

Robert Brudenell, 6th Earl of Cardigan Robert Brudenell, 6th Earl of Cardigan (25 April 1760 – 14 August 1837) was an English peer and Member of Parliament. Early life Robert Brudenell was born in Westminster, the posthumous son and heir of Colonel the Hon. Robert Brudenell and h ...

. Cooke served as a Staff Officer during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

between 1809 and 1812, being promoted from Captain to Lieut-Colonel in the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

. He acted as Assistant Adjutant General to Sir Charles Stewart. After being aide-de-camp to the

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was Du ...

from 1814 until 1827, he became his private secretary. Cooke represented Orford in Parliament between 1826 and 1832 and was described as the ugliest man in the British army. His residence was at 50 Charles Street,

Berkeley Square Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Kent ...

and he was married to Katherine Windham, daughter of Admiral Windham of

Felbrigg Felbrigg is a small village just south of Cromer in Norfolk, England.''OS Explorer Map 24'' (Edition A 1997) – ''Norfolk Coast Central''. . The Danish name means a 'plank bridge'. Historians believe that the original village was clustered aro ...

References

External links

historyofparliamentonline.org, ''Cooke, Sir Henry Frederick (1783–1837), of 50 Charles Street, Berkeley Square and Harefield Park, Mdx.''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooke, Sir Henry Frederick British Army personnel of the Peninsular War 1783 births 1837 deaths British Army major generals Coldstream Guards officers Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Tory MPs (pre-1834) Companions of the Order of the Bath UK MPs 1826–1830 UK MPs 1830–1831 UK MPs 1831–1832 Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Third Degree Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class)