William Alexander Cocke (1747 - 1828)

Born 6 Sep 1747 in Amelia County, Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (MacLin) Cocke — married after 24 Mar 1772 (to 1810) in Brunswick County, Virginia

Descendants

Died 22 Aug 1828 at age 80 in Columbus, Monroe, afterwards Lowndes County, Mississippi, USA

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Preceded by Office established at Statehood June 1, 1796 Preceded by Joseph Anderson

William Cocke US Senator (Class 1) from Tennessee 1796—1797 US Senator (Class 2) from Tennessee 1799—1805

Succeeded by Andrew Jackson Succeeded by Daniel Smith

Biography

William Cocke is Notable.

William Cocke (1748 – August 22, 1828) was an American lawyer, pioneer, and statesman. He has the distinction of having served in the state legislature of four different states: Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Mississippi, and was one of the first two United States senators for Tennessee.

William was born in Amelia County, Virginia in 1748. He was of English descent.[1] He was the sixth of ten or eleven children of Abraham (c.1695–1760) and Mary (Batte) Cocke. William was educated at home before reading law. He was admitted to the bar in Virginia and engaged in a limited law practice.

Cocke spent more time on the frontier than he did in a law office. He was involved in exploration in the company of Daniel Boone, seeing much of what was to become eastern Kentucky and East Tennessee. He was elected a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and a colonel of militia; in 1776, he led four companies of that militia into to what became Tennessee for action against the Indians. Later that year, he left Virginia and moved to what was to become Tennessee. During the attempted organization of the State of Franklin, Cocke was elected as the would-be state's delegate to the Congress of the Confederation.

In 1796, Cocke was chosen as a delegate to the convention that wrote the first Tennessee Constitution. The newly formed government then selected Cocke to be one of the new state's initial senators, along with William Blount. Cocke and Blount then presented their credentials to the United States Senate on May 9, 1796. The Senate refused to seat Cocke and Blount while they debated the admission of Tennessee into the Union. When Tennessee was finally admitted on June 1, the issue of Cocke and Blount's seating was again raised. The Federalist Senate held by a narrow margin (11–10) that Cocke and Blount's election was illegal because it had occurred without Congressional authorization. The Tennessee legislature duly reselected Cocke and Blount on August 2.[2]

His initial term expired on March 4, 1797. However, the Tennessee General Assembly initially neglected to elect a Senate successor to Cocke; he was subsequently appointed to the post in his former seat by governor of Tennessee John Sevier on April 22, 1797, until the General Assembly belatedly elected his successor, Andrew Jackson. Later, he was elected by the Tennessee Assembly to the other U.S. Senate seat, serving in it from March 4, 1799 to March 4, 1805.

Cocke was appointed a judge of the First Judicial Circuit of Tennessee in 1809. He later resigned this position and moved to Mississippi. There, he was elected to the state legislature in 1813. He briefly returned to military duty, serving under Andrew Jackson in the Creek War. In 1814, he was appointed by President James Madison to be Indian agent to the Chickasaw nation; he died in Columbus, Lowndes County, Mississippi, in 1828 and is buried there, in Friendship Cemetery.

Cocke County, Tennessee is named in his honor. His son John Alexander Cocke (1772–1854) was a four-term U.S. Representative from Tennessee; his grandson, William Michael Cocke (1815–1896), was a two-term U.S. Representative from Tennessee.^[1]

Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, 1778; served afterwards in the Legislatures of North Carolina, Tennessee and Mississippi; lived during a considerable part of his life, in Tennessee; became Judge of the Circuit Court, and the first United States Senator from that state; elected 1797, and served until 1809; member of the State Legislature, 1813; removed to Mississippi, 1814; appointed Indian agent for the Chickasaw nation about the same time; founder of the University of Tennessee; Trustee of Greenville College and an incorporator of Washington College; actively engaged at various times in the military service; father of General John Cocke, born 1772.

Lived in Watauga section of North Carolina, Tennessee and Mississippi, where he died; burried Columbus, Mississippi, where some of the events of his life are recounted on his tombstone: "Captain in Command during the Revolutionary Struggle in 1776. . one of the pioneers who first crossed the Alleghany Mountains into the wilderness of Kentucky with Daniel Boone; took an active part in the formation of the Frankland Government afterwards the State of Tennessee. . . one of the first Senators from that state to the Congress of the United States for a period of 12 years, and afterwards one of her Circuit Court judges . . . served in the Legislature of Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Mississippi. At the advanced age of 65 years was a volunteer in the War of 1812-13 and distinguished himself for his personal courage . . . " Source: Cockes and Cousins, Vol. II, p. 15

COCKE, William, (father of John Cocke and grandfather of William Michael Cocke), a Senator from Tennessee; born in Amelia County, Va., in 1748; pursued preparatory studies; studied law; admitted to the bar and practiced; in company with Daniel Boone explored the territory of eastern Tennessee and western Kentucky; successfully led four companies of Virginians against hostile Indians in 1776 in Tennessee; member, Virginia house of burgesses and a colonel of militia; moved to Tennessee in 1776; member of the State constitutional convention in 1796; upon the admission of Tennessee as a State into the Union was elected to the United States Senate and served from August 2, 1796, to March 3, 1797; was appointed his own successor, as there had been no election by the legislature, and served under this appointment from April 22, 1797, to September 26, 1797, when a successor was elected; again elected to the United States Senate as a Democratic Republican and served from March 4, 1799, to March 3, 1805; appointed judge of the first circuit in 1809; moved to Mississippi, and was elected to the Mississippi legislature in 1813; served under Gen. Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812; was appointed by President James Madison as Indian agent for the Chickasaw Nation in 1814; died in Columbus, Miss., on August 22, 1828 and interred in that city.^[2]

William was born about 1747. He passed away in 1828.

Sources

1. ↑ William Cocke on Wikipedia
2. ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

• http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=cw4peterk&id=I001743&style=TABLE
• General William Cocke Home Page
• Find A Grave Memorial# 8004425
• Wikidata: Item Q5610267

Footnotes

The William Cocke Chapter of the DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, organized 6 July 1957, by Miss Naomi Greene Cone, Austin, Texas, is unique in that it is composed of members having a common ancester, General William Cocke (1748-22 Aug. 1828), No. 11216, page 13. Source: Cockes and Cousins, Vol. I, page 266.

Written on back of picture of William Cocke, "July 6, 1957, General; Judge; Served in French & Indian Wars, Revolution & War of 1812; Member of 7 Law-making Bodies including U. S. Senate, Indian Commission; Father of Tennessee." (Ripley's "Believe it or not.")

Dr. Cromwell Tidwell, a descendant, has the original letter from Gen. William Cocke to Gen. Andrew Jackson, when he volunteered as a private in the war of 1812 at age 65, discussing problems of enlistment and food supplies. On the back is Jackson's reply and commendation to Cocke. Source: Cockes and Cousins, Vol. II, p. 15 Detail Year: 1810; Census Place: Jefferson, Rutherford, Tennessee; Roll: 63; Page: 28; Image: 00021; Family History Library Film: 0218687 Edit Source Source Information Title 1810 United States Federal Census

Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots; Volume: 1; Serial: 10861; Volume: 11 Edit Source Source Information Title Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots Author Hatcher, Patricia Law Publisher Ancestry.com Operations Inc

American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) Author Godfrey Memorial Library, comp. Publisher Ancestry.com Operations Inc Publisher Date 1999 Publisher Location Provo, UT, USA

Ancestry Family Trees Publisher Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.

Title Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-2005 Author Ancestry.com Publisher Ancestry.com Operations Inc Publisher Date 2006 Publisher Location Provo, UT, USA

Family Data Collection - Births Author Edmund West, comp. Publisher Ancestry.com Operations Inc Publisher Date 2001 Publisher Location Provo, UT, USA

Family Data Collection - Deaths Author Edmund West, comp. Publisher Ancestry.com Operations Inc Publisher Date 2001 Publisher Location Provo, UT, USA

Birth year: 1747; Birth city: Amelia Co VA Lived In Watauga SE; Birth state: TN Edit Source Source Information Title Family Data Collection - Individual Records Author Edmund West, comp. Publisher Ancestry.com Operations Inc Publisher Date 2000 Publisher Location Provo, UT, USA

Title Family Data Collection - Marriages Author Edmund West, comp. Publisher Ancestry.com Operations Inc Publisher Date 2001 Publisher Location Provo, UT, USA

Detail Book Title: Lineage Book : NSDAR : Volume 147 : 1919 Edit Source Source Information Title North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 Author Ancestry.com Publisher Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Publisher Date 2016 Publisher Location Provo, UT, USA

Detail Book Title: Lineage Book of the Charter Members of the DAR Vol 084 Edit Source Source Information Title North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 Author Ancestry.com Publisher Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Publisher Date 2016 Publisher Location Provo, UT, USA

Detail Book Title: Lineage Book of the Charter Members of the DAR Vol 047 Edit Source Source Information Title North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 Author Ancestry.com Publisher Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Publisher Date 2016Publisher Location Provo, UT, USA

Detail Document: Territorial Papers of the US; Volume Number: Vol 4; Page Number: 459; Family Number: 2 Edit Source Source Information Title U.S. Census Reconstructed Records, 1660-1820 Author Ancestry.com Publisher Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Publisher Date 2011Publisher Location Provo, UT, USA

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Title U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Author Ancestry.com Publisher Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Publisher Date 2012 Publisher Location Provo, UT, USA

Title U.S., Newspaper Extractions from the Northeast, 1704-1930 Author Ancestry.com Publisher Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Publisher Date 2014 Publisher Location Provo, UT, USA

Detail Volume: 103 Edit Source Source Information Title U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 Author Ancestry.com Publisher Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Publisher Date 2011 Publisher Location Provo, UT, USA

U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 Author Ancestry.com Publisher Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Publisher Date 2011 Publisher Location Provo, UT, USA

Title U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 Author Ancestry.com Publisher Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Publisher Date 2011 Publisher Location Provo, UT, USA

Title Virginia, Marriage Records, 1700-1850 Author Ancestry.com Publisher Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Publisher Date 2012 Publisher Location Provo, UT, USA

Title Virginia, Marriages, 1660-1800 Author Dodd, Jordan Publisher Ancestry.com Operations Inc Publisher Date 1997 Publisher Location Provo, UT, USA

Title Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 Author Ancestry.com Publisher Ancestry.com Operations, Inc Publisher Date 2014 Publisher Location Provo, UT, USA