Lorrin Alanson Cooke
57th Governor of Connecticut
In office January 6, 1897 – January 4, 1899
Lieutenant	James D. Dewell
Preceded by	Owen Vincent Coffin
Succeeded by	George E. Lounsbury
66th Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut
In office January 9, 1895 – January 6, 1897
Governor	Owen Vincent Coffin
Preceded by	Ernest Cady
Succeeded by	James D. Dewell
62nd Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut
In office January 8, 1885 – January 7, 1887
Governor	Henry B. Harrison
Preceded by	George G. Sumner
Succeeded by	James L. Howard
Member of the Connecticut Senate from the 18th district
In office 1883-1885
Member of the Connecticut General Assembly
In office 1856
Personal details
Born	April 6, 1831 New Marlborough, Massachusetts
Died	August 12, 1902 (aged 71) Winsted, Connecticut
Political party	Republican
Spouses	Matilda Eunice Webster Cooke Josephine Ward Cooke
Children	3

Lorrin Alanson Cooke (April 6, 1831 – August 12, 1902) was an American politician and the 57th governor of Connecticut from 1897 to 1899.

Biography[edit]

Cooke was born in New Marlborough, Massachusetts, the Son of Levi Cooke and Amelia (Todd) Cooke. He was educated at Norfolk Academy in Connecticut, For several years after high school, he taught school in the Norfolk area in the winter and worked on his father's farm in the summer. By 1850, when Lorrin was nineteen, the Cooke family had moved to Colebrook. As a young farmer, he wanted to learn about and use the latest developments in agriculture. He joined the local agricultural society, was elected president, and his leadership began to develop.

Career[edit]

Cooke worked with railroad officials to route a train through the remote Colebrook area, increasing sales as produce was freighted to the big city, and the town prospered. His election to the Connecticut General Assembly as the representative from the town of Colebrook in 1856, when he was only 25 years old, gave him his first experiences in state politics. He was married in 1858 to Matilda Eunice Webster, and married Josephine Ward in 1870.^[1] He had no children with his first wife and three with his second; Edward, Ward, and Edna. Only Edna lived to adulthood.^[2]

Cooke served as postmaster for Riverton, Connecticut, from 1877 to 1881, as state senator for the 18th District in the Connecticut State Senate from 1883 to 1885, and was President Pro Tempore of the Senate from 1884 to 1885.

In 1885 Cooke became the 62nd lieutenant governor of Connecticut. He held that position from 1885 to 1887. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention from Connecticut in 1892. He served again (as the 66th lieutenant governor) from 1895 to 1897.^[3]

Cooke was elected the governor of Connecticut in 1896, and served from January 6, 1897, to January 4, 1899. During his term, he was successful in his attempts in leaving a financially sound state treasury, even with increased governmental expenditures, which resulted from the outbreak of the Spanish–American War. After leaving the office, Cooke remained active in civic events.^[4]

Death[edit]

Cooke died in Winsted, Connecticut, on August 12, 1902. He is interred at Center Cemetery, Colebrook, Connecticut.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Lorrin A. Cooke at Find a Grave
• Sobel, Robert and John Raimo. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978. Greenwood Press, 1988. ISBN 0-313-28093-2
• The Political Graveyard
• National Governors Association
• Connecticut State Library