Henry D. Cooke

Henry David Cooke (born November 23, 1825 in Sandusky , Ohio , †  February 24, 1881 in Washington, DC ) was an American politician . Between 1871 and 1873 he was Governor of the District of Columbia and thus practically, if not with the corresponding title, Mayor of Washington DC

Career

Henry Cooke was a son of Congressman Eleutheros Cooke (1787–1864) and the younger brother of the financial tycoon and railroad entrepreneur Jay Cooke (1821–1905). He graduated from Allegheny College in Meadville ( Pennsylvania ) and the Transylvania University in Lexington ( Kentucky ). Cooke was still studying law, but turned to journalism. The extent to which he worked as a lawyer is not known. In 1847 he had the idea of ​​a steamboat connection between New York City and San Francisco with a land passage through the area of ​​the later state of Panama . He had this idea published in several newspapers. Two years later, the Pacific Mail Steamship Company emerged from this idea , but he was not involved. He spent the following years in California , where he took part in the gold rush . In doing so, he achieved a certain wealth, which he soon lost again. The sources cite either bad speculation or a fire as reasons for its loss.

Cooke then returned to Ohio, where he worked for the Sandusky Register newspaper . Politically, he joined the Republican Party . In 1856 he was one of their electors for John C. Frémont , who was running for the presidency unsuccessfully at the time. In 1860 he became the owner of related his party newspaper Ohio State Journal . This brought him into closer contact with leading party members at the federal level. In 1862 he was appointed a partner in the Washington branch of Jay Cooke & Company by his brother Jay . Through his political connections he was also able to land government contracts. Soon after, he became president of the Washington and Georgetown Street Railroad Company and the First Washington National Bank .

In 1871, Congress formed a territorial government for the entire District of Columbia . This administration was headed by a four-year governor appointed by the US President . Until then independent city Georgetown went into the new territory and remained even after the resolution of the territorial government in 1874, part of the federal capital Washington. The background to this measure was Washington's high debt burden. Henry Cooke, who was appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant , was appointed first governor of the District of Columbia thanks to its political ties . Cooke held the office between February 28, 1871 and his resignation in September 1873. He conducted the official business very superficially and cared little about the necessary daily work. Instead, he promoted his own business interests and those of his brother. The actual affairs of office were carried out by Alexander Robey Shepherd , one of the city's Republican party leaders and his later successor as governor. In the economic crisis of 1873, Jay Cooke & Co also collapsed. In this context, Cooke resigned from the office of governor, which then fell to Shepherd.

After the collapse of Jay Cooke & Co , Henry Cooke initially fell into a financial hole. He and his family even had to stay with his eldest daughter for a while. In 1875 the situation improved somewhat. As the administrator of the estate of the late ex-minister and chief federal judge Salmon P. Chase , he received a substantial sum. He died of kidney disease in Washington on February 24, 1881.

Web links

• Henry D. Cooke in the database of Find a Grave (English)

predecessor	Office	successor
Matthew Gault Emery (Mayor of Washington)	Governor of the District of Columbia 1871–1873	Alexander Robey Shepherd