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John Warren Cooke
Member From: 1942 - 1979
- Birth Date: February 28, 1915 Birth Place:Mathews, VA
- Death Date: November 28, 2009
- Gender: Male Race: Caucasian
- Spouse: Anne Brown Rawn
- Children: Giles Buckner Cooke; Elsa VanNess Cooke Verbyla
- Religion: Episcopalian
- Education: Virginia Military Institute
- Military Service:
- Occupation/Profession: Newspaper publisher
- Memberships/Affiliations: Episcopal Church Tidewater Newspapers, Inc. (president) United Virginia Bank of Gloucester (director)
- Bio: Born in Mathews, Va., February 28, 1915 John Warren Cooke represented Essex, Gloucester, King and Queen, King William, Mathews, and Middlesex Counties. He also represented Charles City and New Kent Counties, 1966-1972. He is the son of the late Giles Buckner Cooke and his second wife, the late Katharine (Grosh) Cooke. Speaker Cooke”s father, who following the Civil War became an Episcopal minister, served during that war on the personal staff of General Robert E. Lee, at the age of 26, as Major and Assistant Adjutant and Inspector General, Speaker Cooke, a life-long resident of Mathews, was educated in public and private schools and the Virginia Military Institute. He is the publisher of the Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal and president of Tidewater Newspapers, Incorporated, in Gloucester. He was 26 years old when elected to the House of Delegates in 1941. While serving as the Speaker, he was the oldest member of the General Assembly in point of service, and was known for his knowledge of parliamentary rules and procedures and for his objectivity and fair-mindedness as the presiding officer. He and Anne Brown Rawn, daughter of Andrew Bryson Rawn and Elsa (Brown) Rawn of Huntington, West Virginia, were married May 10, 1947. They have a son, Giles Buckner Cooke, and a daughter, Elsa VanNess Cooke Verbyla. The family home, “Palace Green”, is on Putin Creek, a tributary of the East River in Mathews.
While he was Speaker of the House, the Clerks were GEORGE R. RICH and JOSEPH H. HOLLEMAN, JR. - Other Notable Service and/or Elected Offices: Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates: 1968-1980
| Session | District | District Number | Party | Leadership | Committees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Counties of Gloucester and Mathews | Democrat | Agriculture Chesapeake and Its Tributaries Confirmation Militia and Police |
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| 1944-1945 | Counties of Gloucester, Mathews and Middlesex | Democrat | Chesapeake and Its Tributaries Confirmation Militia and Police Privileges and Elections |
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| 1945 | Counties of Gloucester, Mathews and Middlesex | Democrat | Chesapeake and Its Tributaries Confirmation Militia and Police Privileges and Elections |
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| 1946-1947 | Counties of Gloucester, Mathews and Middlesex | Democrat | Chesapeake and Its Tributaries Confirmation Game and Inland Fisheries Militia and Police Privileges and Elections |
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| 1947 | Counties of Gloucester, Mathews and Middlesex | Democrat | Chesapeake and Its Tributaries Confirmation Game and Inland Fisheries Militia and Police Privileges and Elections |
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| 1948 | Counties of Gloucester, Mathews and Middlesex | Democrat | Chesapeake and Its Tributaries Confirmation Finance Militia and Police Privileges and Elections |
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| 1950 | Counties of Gloucester, Mathews, and Middlesex | Democrat | Nominations and Confirmations (Chair) Chesapeake and Its Tributaries Finance Privileges and Elections |
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| 1952 | Counties of Gloucester, Mathews, and Middlesex | Democrat | Nominations and Confirmations (Chair) Chesapeake and Its Tributaries Finance Privileges and Elections |
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| 1954-1955 | Counties of Gloucester, Mathews and Middlesex | Democrat | Chesapeake and Its Tributaries (Chair) Finance Nominations and Confirmations Privileges and Elections |
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| 1955 | Counties of Gloucester, Mathews and Middlesex | Democrat | Chesapeake and Its Tributaries (Chair) Finance Nominations and Confirmations Privileges and Elections |
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| 1956 | Counties of Gloucester, Mathews and Middlesex | Democrat | Chesapeake and Its Tributaries (Chair) Finance Nominations and Confirmations Privileges and Elections |
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| 1958-1959 | Counties of Gloucester, Mathews, and Middlesex | Democrat | Privileges and Elections (Chair) Chesapeake and Its Tributaries Finance Rules |
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| 1959 | Counties of Gloucester, Mathews, and Middlesex | Democrat | Privileges and Elections (Chair) Chesapeake and Its Tributaries Finance Rules |
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| 1960 | Counties of Gloucester, Mathews, and Middlesex | Democrat | Privileges and Elections (Chair) Chesapeake and Its Tributaries Finance Rules |
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| 1962-1963 | Counties of Gloucester, Mathews, and Middlesex | 32 | Democrat | Privileges and Elections (Chair) Chesapeake and Its Tributaries Finance Rules |
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| 1963 | Counties of Gloucester, Mathews, and Middlesex | 32 | Democrat | Privileges and Elections (Chair) Chesapeake and Its Tributaries Finance Rules |
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| 1964-1965 | Counties of Gloucester, Mathews, and Middlesex | 31 | Democrat | Privileges and Elections (Chair) Chesapeake and Its Tributaries Finance Rules |
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| 1965 | Counties of Gloucester, Mathews, and Middlesex | 31 | Democrat | Privileges and Elections (Chair) Chesapeake and Its Tributaries Finance Rules |
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| 1966 | Counties of Gloucester, Mathews, New Kent, Charles City, and Middlesex | 31 | Democrat | Privileges and Elections (Chair) Agriculture Chesapeake and Its Tributaries Finance Rules |
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| 1968-1969 | Counties of Gloucester, Mathews, New Kent, Charles City and Middlesex | 31 | Democrat | Speaker of the House | Rules (Chair) |
| 1969 | Counties of Gloucester, Mathews, New Kent, Charles City and Middlesex | 31 | Democrat | Speaker of the House | Rules (Chair) |
| 1970-1971 | Counties of Gloucester, Mathews, New Kent, Charles City, and Middlesex | 31 | Democrat | Speaker of the House | Rules (Chair) |
| 1972-1973 | Counties of Essex (part), Gloucester, Mathews, Middlesex, King and Queen and King William | 48 | Democrat | Speaker of the House | Rules (Chair) |
| 1974-1975 | Counties of Essex, Gloucester, Mathews, Middlesex, King and Queen and King William | 48 | Democrat | Speaker of the House | Rules (Chair) |
| 1976-1977 | Counties of Essex, Gloucester, King and Queen, King William, Mathews, and Middlesex | 48 | Democrat | Speaker of the House | Rules (Chair) |
| 1978 | Counties of Essex, Gloucester, King and Queen, King William, Mathews, and Middlesex | 48 | Democrat | Speaker of the House | Rules (Chair) |
| 1979 | Counties of Essex, Gloucester, King and Queen, King William, Mathews, and Middlesex | 48 | Democrat | Speaker of the House | Rules (Chair) |
*The information within this interactive and searchable application has been researched extensively by the House Clerk’s Office. As with any historical records of this age and breadth, there may be discrepancies and/or inconsistencies within records obtained from a variety of credible sources. Any feedback is encouraged at history@house.virginia.gov.