Four generations of public service By TOM RUE
MONTICELLO - Four generations of Cooke men have held public office in Sullivan County. Lawrence Henry Cooke and his father were both jurists. His grandfather was a lawman and firefighter, and son George is currently County Clerk.
Like many other people, Lawrence Cooke's grandparents were attracted to Sullivan County by the hotel industry. A shoemaker by trade, and English by descent but born in Ireland, Henry Cooke and his wife -- the former Mary Touhy -- settled in the Town of Thompson where Mary's brother operated a hotel by Melody Lake, near the Forestburgh town line, Lawrence Cooke said.
Henry Cooke -- whom Lawrence described as "a big man and a very strong man" -- was a charter member of the Monticello Volunteer Fire Department in 1875. He was also constable of the Town of Thompson, a post which no longer exists. Lawrence recalled family legends of his grandfather's firefighting prowess. "They said the water would go up higher when he ran the water-pumper."
Henry's son (Lawrence's father), George L. Cooke, born November 9, 1878, devoted his life to local public service. After marrying Mary E. Pond (born August 11, 1882), George started out as a teacher in a country school district earning $7.50 a week. On this meager salary he worked his way through Albany Law School, graduating in 1902, and was thereafter appointed clerk of the Sullivan County Board of Supervisors.
In 1909 and again in 1912, George Cooke was elected county District Attorney with endorsements by the Democratic, Republican and Bull Moose parties. Multi-party endorsement was something George's son, Lawrence, would also enjoy for much of his own long political life.
George Cooke deeply impressed his son with the values he placed on treating people fairly and decently, and letting these be the guiding principles in administering justice. Independence -- not owing anyone any favors -- was another trait which Lawrence Cooke said he learned from his father.
"My father was the essence of rectitude and I would say that my mother was the essence of refinement," he recalled.
In 1926, George Cooke was elected Sullivan County Court Judge and Surrogate, serving 22 years until retiring at age 70, as required by the NYS Constitution. In the 1930s, George Cooke presided over nationally famous trials, including local cases related to organized crime dubbed by the press as "Murder, Inc."
Lawrence Cooke was born October 15, 1914 in a house at 377 Broadway, but spent most of his childhood living up the street at 401 Broadway. Lawrence recalled his mother as a teacher of Latin and algebra. But faith in God and the importance of being guided by clear moral principles were the chief subject matter in the Cooke home from Lawrence's earliest days, he said.
Mary Pond Cooke was an Episcopalian with a Congregationalist upbringing, Lawrence Cooke recalled. The Cookes were Catholic, which is how he was raised. Lawrence Cooke recalled his mother directing him to study catechism before going out to play. Days of youth seeming not so long ago, Judge Cooke recalled his excitement the day after his 16th birthday when he got his first driver's license. "I couldn't wait a day! You know how anxious you are. I got a junior operator's permit."
Lawrence met Alice McCormack, a native of Albany, at a relative's wedding in nearby Troy. They married November 25, 1939 at St. Vincent DePaul's Church on Madison Avenue in Albany, a little less than a year after Lawrence was admitted to practice law. They recently celebrated 55 years together.
During a lengthy interview in his home, Judge Cooke described himself more than once as having led a "luck" charmed life. But feeling seemed deepest as he described his especially good fortune at meeting Alice, who provided moral support and helped shape the characters of their children for 55 years.
Following in his grandfather's footsteps, Lawrence Cooke took an interest in firematics. He served at various times as president of the Monticello Volunteer Fire Department, president of the Sullivan County Fireman's Association, and president of the Hudson Valley Volunteer Fireman's Association.
Despite elected office taking him to Albany and out of the state, Judge Cooke has always made his home the same street where he was born, in the Village of Monticello. He and his wife reside at 415 Broadway in a white house at the corner of Port Jervis Rd. where they have lived for 53 years and raised three children.
Edward M. Cooke is a partner in the prominent Monticello law firm of Cooke and Davis. Married to the former Colleen Sennett, Ed Cooke has two children and a granddaughter. "That makes us great-grandparents," Lawrence Cooke said proudly.
George L. Cooke II and wife Karen reside in Rock Hill with three daughters. One lives in Philadelphia. Another attends college in Troy, while the youngest is a student at Monticello High School. Carrying on the family tradition of holding elective office, George was voted in as Sullivan County Clerk in 1992, after a term as appointed clerk of the Board of Supervisors. Karen Cooke is director of the Sullivan County chapter of the American Red Cross.
The youngest child of Lawrence and Alice Cooke is Lauren, married to Richard T. Opie. They live in Amesbury, Massachusetts with three children of their own.
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