William Willets Cocks (July 24, 1861 – May 24, 1932) was an American politician who served three terms as from New York from 1905 to 1911.

Life

Born in

Old Westbury Old Westbury is a village in the Towns of North Hempstead and Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 4,671 at the 2010 census. The Incorporated Village of Old Westbury i ...

, Long Island, he attended private schools and Swarthmore College. He engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was elected Commissioner of Highways of the Town of North Hempstead in 1894, and was re-elected in 1896 and again in 1898. He was a member of the New York State Senate (2nd D.) in

1901 Events January * January 1 – The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton becomes the first Prime Minist ...

and

1902 Events January * January 1 ** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world' ...

; a member of the New York State Assembly (Queens and Nassau Co.) in

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library syst ...

; and a delegate to the

1908 Republican National Convention The 1908 Republican National Convention was held in Chicago Coliseum, Chicago, Illinois on June 16 to June 19, 1908. It convened to nominate successors to President Theodore Roosevelt and Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks. U.S. Secretary of ...

. Cocks 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 59th, 60th and

61st United States Congress The 61st 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, 1909, to ...

es, holding office from March 4, 1905, to March 3, 1911. William Cocks was a member of the board of managers of Swarthmore College and was president of the Friends Academy in

Locust Valley Locust Valley is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 3,406 at the 2010 census. History The rollin ...

. He was vice president of the Roslyn Savings Bank and was a director of the Bank of Westbury and the Bank of Hicksville. Cocks was President of the Village of Old Westbury from its incorporation in 1924 until his death there in 1932; interment was in Friends Cemetery, Westbury. His son, William Burling "Burley" Cocks (1915–1998) was a U.S. Hall of Fame trainer of

Thoroughbred racehorses The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are con ...

. Congressman Frederick Cocks Hicks was a brother to William W. Cocks.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cocks, William W 1861 births 1932 deaths Politicians from Nassau County, New York Republican Party New York (state) state senators Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly Swarthmore College alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Old Westbury, New York Burials in New York (state)