William Gordon Cooke

William Gordon Cooke (March 26, 1803 – December 24, 1847) was a New Orleansdruggist from Virginia, who volunteered for service in the Texas Revolution; fighting at Béxar and San Jacinto, he rose to the rank of major in the Texian Army. In the Republic he held a number of military and civilian appointments; as commissioner to the Comanches he participated in the Council House Fight, and as colonel of the First Texas Infantry he became the last commanding officer of the Regular Texas Army. After its disbandment, Cooke participated in the and sat imprisoned in Mexico City. Back in Texas, he fought the Mexicans at Arroyo Hondo, and in the naval battles of Campeche. The last Secretary of war of the Republic, he was also the State of Texas' first Adjutant general.