Lucian Howard Cocke (March 27, 1858 – November 14, 1927) was an American lawyer, politician, historian and university rector from Virginia.

Life

Cocke was born on March 27, 1858, at

Hollins College Hollins University is a private university in Hollins, Virginia. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historical settlement of Botetourt Springs, it is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States ...

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is lo ...

where his father, Charles Lewis Cocke, was founder and president. His mother was Susanna Pleasants, a cousin of Virginia governor

James Pleasants James Pleasants Jr. (October 24, 1769November 9, 1836) was an American politician who served in the U.S. Senate from 1819 to 1822 and was the 22nd Governor of Virginia from 1822 to 1825. Biography Pleasants was born at "Cold Comfort," in Goo ...

. His early education was under the tutelage of Hollins College professors. He eventually matriculated to Richmond College (now

University of Richmond The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students in five schools: the School ...

) but finished his bachelor's degree at

Washington & Lee , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexingto ...

. He attended law school at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

and upon graduating set up his own practice. In 1884, he joined into a partnership in Richmond forming the firm Penn & Cocke, after the retirement of Penn he formed a new partnership in Cocke & Glasgow. He was the first Democrat elected mayor of

. From 1924 to 1928, he served as rector and trustee of his alma mater Washington & Lee. In private life, he was an avid author of works on the law, history and genealogy periodically contributing to the

Virginia Historical Society The Virginia Museum of History and Culture founded in 1831 as the Virginia Historical and Philosophical Society and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, is a major repository, research, and teaching center for Virginia history. It is a private, n ...

and the '' William & Mary Quarterly''.

Family

Cocke married twice, first on September 17, 1885 to his distant cousin Lelia Maria Smith (1859–1899) a descendant of

Robert "King" Carter Robert "King" Carter (4 August 1663 – 4 August 1732) was a merchant, planter and powerful politician in colonial Virginia. Born in Lancaster County, Carter eventually became one of the richest men in the Thirteen Colonies. As President of t ...

and

William Thornton William Thornton (May 20, 1759 – March 28, 1828) was a British-American physician, inventor, painter and architect who designed the United States Capitol. He also served as the first Architect of the Capitol and first Superintendent of the Uni ...

. He and Smith had four children. After her death he married secondly in 1903, Sarah Cobb Johnson (1865–1944) a native of Alabama and the granddaughter of John Addison Cobb and descendant of Ambrose Cobbs and Thomas Reade Rootes. They had no children.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cocke, Lucian 1858 births 1927 deaths Mayors of Roanoke, Virginia Washington and Lee University alumni University of Virginia School of Law alumni Virginia Democrats Pleasants family