Sir James Douglas Cooke,

FRCS Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an intercollegiate basis by the four Royal Colleges of Surgeons (the Royal C ...

(1879 – 13 July 1949) was a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

politician from England. He served as the British Conservative politician for Hammersmith South In 1931, he became a member of Parliament, where he remained until 1945."Sir Douglas Cooke", ''The Times'', (London), Thursday, 14 July 1949, page 7, Issue 51433 He was knighted in the King's Birthday Honours list in 1945.''Supplement to the London Gazette'', 14 June 1945, page 2934
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Personal background

James Douglas Cooke was born in 1879 in

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropol ...

, the eldest son of John Cooke, a pastoralist who had lived in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

.Brown, G. H.; and Munk, William. (1930)
171 Lives of the Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of London, 1826-1925
', Publisher: The College, pp 637 In 1907, Cooke married Elsie Muriel. Together, they had one son and three daughters. Elsie was the daughter of General James Burston and the sister of Major General

Samuel Burston Major general (Australia), Major General Sir Samuel Roy Burston, (21 March 1888 – 21 August 1960) was an Australian soldier, physician, and Thoroughbred racing in Australia, horse racing identity. The son of James Burston, a prominent Melbou ...

of Melbourne. Cooke lived in London until his death in 1949.

Professional background

Cooke was educated at Melbourne University, where he qualified in medicine and surgery, receiving his

Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

in 1901, and Bachelor of Surgery a year later. After immigrating to England, he joined the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

in London in 1903, became a

Member of the Royal College of Surgeons Membership of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (MRCS) is a postgraduate diploma for surgeons in the UK and Ireland. Obtaining this qualification allows a doctor to become a member of one of the four surgical colleges ...

on 12 Nov 1903, and a Fellow on 1 June 1905. He served in the First World War in the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

. He also ran a medical practice in Stanmore, Middlesex.

Political career

Prior to becoming an MP he had unsuccessfully contested the Peckham division of Camberwell, at the 1929 general election. At the 1931 general election he contested Hammersmith South for the Conservatives. This was a seat the party had lost to

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

in 1929 by just over 400 votes. Cooke defeated the incumbent

Dan Chater Daniel Chater (17 November 1870 – 25 May 1959) was a British Labour and Co-operative politician. Early life and career Daniel Chater was born in Lambeth, London, on 17 November 1870 into a working-class family. After leaving school he work ...

by 12,638 votes to regain the seat for his party. He retained it in

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...

with a reduced majority of 6,068, defeating local councillor W T Adams.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooke, Douglas 1879 births 1949 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1931–1935 UK MPs 1935–1945