Wilson Cooke (1819 –1887), was an American politician, minister, and businessman. He was a member of the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seati ...

during the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

, serving from 1868 until 1870. A historical marker in Greenville commemorates his life.

Biography

Wilson Cooke was born in 1819. His father is thought to be

Vardry McBee Vardry Echols McBee (June 19, 1775 – January 23, 1864) was an American saddlemaker, merchant, farmer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who has frequently been called, "the father of Greenville, South Carolina". Youth McBee, the youngest o ...

, and his mother was enslaved. Cooke was born as a slave, and bought his freedom. He was a Methodist, and he helped co-found the Greenville Methodist Church, a

Black church The black church (sometimes termed Black Christianity or African American Christianity) is the faith and body of Christian congregations and denominations in the United States that minister predominantly to African Americans, as well as their ...

in 1862. Cooke became a general store owner and had a

tannery Tanning may refer to: *Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather *Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin **Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun **Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...

. He was a delegate at the

1868 South Carolina Constitutional Convention The Constitution of the State of South Carolina is the governing document of the U.S. state of South Carolina. It describes the structure and function of the state's government. The current constitution took effect on December 4, 1895. South Carol ...

in Charleston. He represented Greenville County in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1868-1870. Cooke was married to Magdalena Walker. His son

William Wilson Cooke William Wilson Cooke (1871–1949) was an American architect. He worked in the Office of the Supervising Architect of the United States Department of the Treasury and was the first African American man to be employed there. Cooke was the first A ...

was an architect and educator, who worked for the U.S. government before establishing his own practice in

Gary, Indiana Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city has been historically dominated by major industrial activity and is home to U.S. Steel's Gary Works, the largest steel mill complex in North America. Gary is located along the ...

References

1819 births 1887 deaths Members of the South Carolina House of Representatives American freedmen 19th-century American legislators {{SouthCarolina-politician-stub