James M. Cook
Encyclopedia
James Merrill Cook was an American businessman, banker and politician.
s at Ballston Spa.
In 1842, 1843 and 1845, he was President of the Village of Ballston Spa
. He was a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1846.
He was a member of the New York State Senate
from 1848 to 1851, and from 1864 to 1865.
At the state election in November 1851, he was elected New York State Treasurer
on the Whig ticket by a margin of only 228 votes (200,693 for Cook; 200,465 for Welch), and took office on January 1, 1852. His Democratic opponent Benjamin Welch, Jr.
contested the election successfully, and on November 20, 1852, Welch succeeded to the office for the remainder of the term.
He was New York State Comptroller
from 1854 to 1855, defeated for re-election in 1855 by the American Party
candidate Lorenzo Burrows
.
From 1856 to 1861, he was Superintendent of the New York State Banking Department
.
Life
From 1838 to 1856, he was the first President of the Ballston Spa Bank and also was the owner of cotton millCotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
s at Ballston Spa.
In 1842, 1843 and 1845, he was President of the Village of Ballston Spa
Ballston Spa, New York
Ballston Spa is a village in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 5,556 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Saratoga County. The village is named after Rev. Eliphalet Ball, a Congregationalist clergyman and an early settler. The village lies on the border of two...
. He was a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1846.
He was a member of the New York State Senate
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
from 1848 to 1851, and from 1864 to 1865.
At the state election in November 1851, he was elected New York State Treasurer
New York State Treasurer
The New York State Treasurer was a state cabinet officer in the State of New York between 1776 and 1926. During the re-organization of the state government under Governor Al Smith, the office was abolished and its responsibilities transferred to the new Department of Audit and Control headed by the...
on the Whig ticket by a margin of only 228 votes (200,693 for Cook; 200,465 for Welch), and took office on January 1, 1852. His Democratic opponent Benjamin Welch, Jr.
Benjamin Welch, Jr.
Benjamin Welch, Jr. was an American politician.-Life:He studied law with Judge Mann in Utica, New York...
contested the election successfully, and on November 20, 1852, Welch succeeded to the office for the remainder of the term.
He was New York State Comptroller
New York State Comptroller
The New York State Comptroller is a state cabinet officer of the U.S. state of New York. The duties of the comptroller include auditing government operations and operating the state's retirement system.-History:...
from 1854 to 1855, defeated for re-election in 1855 by the American Party
Know Nothing
The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...
candidate Lorenzo Burrows
Lorenzo Burrows
Lorenzo Burrows was an American merchant, banker and politician.-Life:...
.
From 1856 to 1861, he was Superintendent of the New York State Banking Department
New York State Banking Department
The New York State Banking Department was created by the New York Legislature on April 15, 1851, with a chief officer to be known as the Superintendent...
.
External links
- http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9E04E1DC1331E234BC4953DFB7668389649FDE Official state canvass, in NYT on January 1, 1852
- http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/cook5.html Political Graveyard
- http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nysarato/Sylvester/chap30.html History of Saratoga County, New York by Nathaniel Bartlett Sylvester (1878)
- Google Book The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 34, 36, 39 and 139; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)
- http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9E06EED61F30E633A2575AC2A96F9C946492D7CF The Whig ticket in 1855, in NYT on September 29, 1855
- http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9406EEDD1E31EE34BC4B52DFB7668382649FDE Re-appointed Bank Superintendent, in NYT on January 13, 1859
See also
- famousamericans.net/jamesmerrillcook/