John Cook's Controversial Winter As Governor of Delaware
John Cook was a State Senator from Delaware who found himself thrust into the office of Governor.
Cook’s ascension to this position was controversial and he only remained as the Chief Executive for a brief time.
John Cook
Leading up to the Revolutionary War, John Cook served as Sheriff of Kent County, Delaware.
As hostilities heated up between the colonies and the Mother Country, Cook was one of the last holdouts hoping for the two to reconcile.
Once independence was declared, Cook fell in with the Patriots.
He retained his position as Sheriff, but many other leaders were suspicious of him.
Rejected Nominee
Despite his questionable loyalties, Cook’s neighbors liked him and he was elected to attend Delaware’s first State Constitutional Convention.
After the new government was created, he was chosen as a State Senator.
The following year, Cook was nominated to sit on the Delaware Supreme Court. Unfortunately, with his initial hesitation to separate from Great Britain still fresh in the minds of his contemporaries, John’s appointment went unconfirmed.
Speaker of the Senate
Unconcerned with the setback, Cook remained in the State Senate.
Over the years he moved his way up the chain until he became Speaker of the Senate.
Then, in 1782, Delaware Governor John Dickinson was also elected Governor of Pennsylvania. Realizing that it might be inappropriate to act as Governor of two States, Dickinson resigned his position at the head of Delaware.
As Speaker of the Senate, John Cook stepped in as interim Governor.
Governor
Of course, for many of the same reasons he was rejected from the Supreme Court, Cook’s ascension was viewed with skepticism.
Although several State politicians began to raise hell, Cook quickly diffused the situation by announcing he would only serve as Governor until a special election could be held.
After just three months in office, John Cook returned to the State Senate where he spent the remainder of his life.
Want to learn about other DELAWARE FOUNDERS?
OK, here you go:
John Vining - Delaware’s Lonely Representative
Joshua Clayton Transforms Delaware’s Executive Branch
Jacob Broom Doesn’t Realize His Property’s Potential
As the First State, Delaware has a unique place in the American Founding.
To learn more about this State, check out ‘Revolutionary Delaware.’
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