Nathan Edward Cook (October 10, 1885 – September 10, 1992) was a sailor in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during the Philippine–American War whose naval career continued through the Second World War. When he died at the age of 106 he was the oldest surviving American war veteran.

Biography

Military career

Cook was born on October 10, 1885, in

Hersey, Michigan Hersey is a village in Osceola County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 350 at the 2010 census. The village is located within Hersey Township. History Hersey is a small rural community that started as a lumber town in the early ...

. He left a 50-cent-a-day job at a packing plant in a city from

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

. He lied about his age (then 15) in order to join the Navy on April 9, 1901, after he saw a recruiting poster which said, "Join the Navy and See the World." He was assigned to the USS ''Pensacola''. He served during the Philippine–American War, which began shortly after Spain had ceded the Philippines to the United States after losing the Spanish–American War of 1898. The Philippine–American War lasted from 1899 until July 4, 1902 – one year after Cook's enlistment in the Navy. Cook also saw service in the Boxer Rebellion and clashes along the U.S.–

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

border. After 12 and a half years of service as an enlisted man, he was appointed to the warrant officer rank of

boatswain A boatswain ( , ), bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun, also known as a deck boss, or a qualified member of the deck department, is the most senior rate of the deck department and is responsible for the components of a ship's hull. The boatswain supervise ...

on January 11, 1913. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he commanded a submarine chaser that sank two German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

s. Cook was promoted on August 15, 1918, to the temporary rank of lieutenant and was given command of the tugboat USS ''Favorite'' on the 21st of the same month. Cook received a letter of commendation from the

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

for his role in salvaging the USS ''Narragansett'' in February 1919. The text of his commendation reads: "As Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. ''Favorite'' he took a conspicuous and creditable part in the operation of salvaging the U.S.S. ''Narragansett''." After the First World War, Cook was reduced to his permanent rank of Boatswain and then promoted to Chief Boatswain on January 11, 1919. During the early days of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Cook was stationed at Port-au-Prince Haiti and in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

. As of November 1, 1940 he was the executive officer of the SS ''Mormacyork'' which served as a transport between the United States and South America. Cook retired on April 1, 1942, after 40 years in the Navy. He was promoted to the permanent rank of lieutenant the same day in recognition of his service in the First World War.''U.S. Navy Register'', 1947. He once said his Navy life was tough but that it beat living on his

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

farm. During his naval career, Cook's shipmates nicknamed him "Northeast," derived from his first two initials.

Personal life

Cook's father, William Cook, had died in 1895. His mother Ellen later remarried and the family moved to Kansas City, Missouri. Cook met his wife, Elizabeth (1887–1982) in New York in 1901 and they married on October 29, 1905. Elizabeth died two weeks before what would have been their 77th wedding anniversary in 1982. Cook spent his last years at the residential section of the VA hospital in

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, Arizona and was buried beside his wife at the

National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, also known as Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery, is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of Phoenix in Maricopa County, Arizona. It encompasses , and as of the end of 2005, had 43,672 interm ...

Legacy

Cook was the last living member of the

United Spanish War Veterans The United Spanish War Veterans was an American veterans' organization which consisted of veterans of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War and China Relief Expedition. Origins Soon after the Spanish–American War ended, in earl ...

(USWV). The USWV was an organization of veterans of the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

and the Philippine–American War who had served between 1898 and 1902. Cook was eligible to be a member of the USWV because he had enlisted during the Philippine–American War. Cook was often referred to as a veteran of the Spanish–American War, but the Spanish–American War officially ended in August 1898 and Cook did not enlist in the Navy until April 1901. Because Cook was a member of the USWV, many assumed that he was a Spanish–American War veteran. Cook was mistakenly recognized as the longest surviving U.S. veteran of that war at the time of his death in 1992 (although there is a claim that Jones Morgan was a Spanish–American War veteran and survived longer). Cook was, however, likely the last surviving veteran of the Philippine–American War. When Cook turned 104, he received a congratulatory letter from George H. W. Bush and guests watched a video presentation about his life. Cook's younger daughter, Eleanor Kay of

Tempe, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Vale of Tempe , image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg , imagesize = 260px , image_caption = Tempe skyline as se ...

, also said around this time: "He was a Navy man throughout. Navy. Navy. Navy. He lived for the Navy. Yes, he had a wife and family, and he enjoyed coming home to see them. But he also enjoyed getting back to his ship."

Awards

* Navy Commendation Ribbon (Later changed to the Navy Commendation Medal.) *

Philippine Campaign Medal The Philippine Campaign Medal is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, medal of the United States Armed Forces which was created to denote service of U.S. military men in the Philippine–American War between the years of 1899 an ...

* China Campaign Medal *

Mexican Service Medal The Mexican Service Medal is an award of the United States military for service in Mexico from 1911 to 1919. History The Mexican Service Medal awarded by the Army was established by General Orders of the United States War Department on December ...

* First World War Victory Medal *

American Defense Service Medal The American Defense Service Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces, established by , by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, on June 28, 1941. The medal was intended to recognize those military service members who had served ...

American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had perfo ...

* World War Two Victory Medal

References

External links

*
Interview with Nathan E. Cook
1989.

''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...

''. September 11, 1992. Accessed from October 28, 2012.
Article from the Vanguard "The Spanish–American War Veteran," Veterans Administration Nov./Dec. 1988
lcweb2.loc.gov Accessed from May 7, 2013. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Nathan E. United States Navy sailors American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American centenarians Men centenarians 1885 births 1992 deaths Burials in Arizona American military personnel of the Boxer Rebellion Military personnel from Michigan United States Navy personnel of World War I