James M. Cook

James M. Cook

James Merrill Cook (born November 19, 1807 in Ballston , New York , † April 12, 1868 in Saratoga , New York) was an American businessman, banker and politician . He was New York Treasurer of State from 1852 and New York State Comptroller from 1854 to 1855 .

Career

His childhood was overshadowed by the British-American War . Nothing further is known about the youth of James Merrill Cook. From 1838 to 1856 he was the first president of Ballston Spa Bank (later Ballston Spa National Bank ). He also owned several cotton mills in Ballston Spa ( Saratoga County ). Those years were overshadowed by the economic crisis of 1837 and the Mexican-American War that followed. Cook was President of the Village of Ballston Spa in 1842, 1843, and 1845. In 1846 he took part as a delegate to the New York Constituent Assembly . He sat from 1848 to 1851 for the 13th district in the New York Senate . In November 1851 he was elected as Whig Treasurer of State of New York. He defeated his democratic challenger Benjamin Welch junior with 200,693 to 200,465 votes. Cook took up his post on January 1, 1852. In the period that followed, Welch successfully challenged the election. On November 20, 1852, Welch took the post of Treasurer of State. Cook was elected New York State Comptroller, but suffered a defeat to American Party candidate Lorenzo Burrows when he ran for re-election in 1855 . Cook was superintendent in the New York State Banking Department from 1856 to 1861 . He served in the New York Senate for the 15th District in 1864 and 1865 during the Civil War .

Cook was married to Anna Cady. Their daughter, Catherine Phillips Cook, was married to George Sherman Batcheller . Cook was buried in Ballston Spa Village Cemetery .

literature

• Official State Canvass , The New York Times, January 1, 1852
• Whig State Convention , The New York Times, September 29, 1855
• The New York civil list , Weed, Parsons and Company, 1858, pp. 34, 59 and 136
• Affairs at Albany , The New York Times, January 13, 1859

Web links

• James M. Cook on The Political Graveyard website
• History of Saratoga County, New York - James M. Cook

• James M. Cook in the database of Find a Grave (English)