Nicholas Cooke
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Cooke was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
during the American Revolutionary War
, and after Rhode Island became a state, he continued in this position to become the first Governor of the State of Rhode Island
. Born in the maritime town of Providence
, he early in life followed the sea, eventually becoming a Captain of ships. This occupation led him to become a merchant, becoming highly successful in this endeavor, and he ran a distillery and rope-making business as well. He is depicted as one of the affluent merchants in John Greenwood
's satirical painting from the 1750s entitled Sea Captains Carousing in Surinam.
Cooke first became politically active in 1752 when elected as an Assistant from Providence, which position he held for a total of four years. He devoted most of his energy to mercantile pursuits and local government in the 1760s, and in 1766 represented his Congregational Church in becoming a trustee of the new college in Rhode Island, later named Brown University
. In 1768 he was elected as Deputy Governor of the Rhode Island colony under Josias Lyndon
as Governor. He stepped down from this position after a year, but in 1775, after the war with Great Britain had begun, he was once again elected as Deputy Governor, this time under Governor Joseph Wanton
. Maintaining Loyalist
sympathies, Wanton was officially deposed as Governor in November 1775, and Cooke was then named to succeed him. When Cooke was re-elected to the Governorship in May 1776, the most important act of his tenure took place: by decree of the General Assembly, the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations officially broke ties with Great Britain, this occurring two months before the signing of the Declaration of Independence
by the 13 American colonies.
During the nearly three years of Cooke's tenure as governor, he had to constantly deal with issues stemming from the war with Britain. One of the most difficult situations was the British capture and occupation of Newport, which required evacuation before the British troops arrived. The war took a heavy toll on Cooke, and in 1678 he refused re-election, being replaced by William Greene
. Cooke lived for four more years after his retirement, dying in Providence in November 1782. He is buried in the North Burial Ground
in Providence.
in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
on 3 February 1717, Nicholas Cooke was the son of Daniel Cooke and Mary Power. Early in his life he followed the sea, and eventually became the master of ships, which led to his later vocation as a merchant. He also operated a distillery and a rope making business. After acquiring a fortune, he invested his assets in land in the colonies of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
Cooke first became politically active at the age of 35, when he was elected as an Assistant from Providence in 1752, being elected again to this position three more times within seven years. In the mid 1750s, the Boston portraitist, John Greenwood
followed a group of sea captains and merchants to Surinam on the northeast coast of South America. The trading usually took time, so the men often waited in pubs. Being commissioned by the merchants to create a satirical painting, Greenwood concocted a 22-figure tavern scene, showing himself among the affluent traders, all subject to the "intoxicating effects of alcohol and economic ambition." Different accounts agree that Cooke is the man wearing a hat, seated at the back of the table, facing right and smoking a pipe.
Cooke became a trustee of Rhode Island's new college, later named Brown University
, in 1766 and served in that role until his death. As a trustee he represented the Beneficient Congregational Church
, of which he had been a member since 1647.
In 1768 Cooke became the Deputy Governor of the colony under Josias Lyndon
, both men leaving their offices after one year. As difficulties with Great Britain worsened, and the Continental Congress
formed, Cooke became chairman of the Providence Committee of Inspection. He was responsible for seeing that the town faithfully adhered to the declarations of the Congress relating to trade with Great Britain. Some of the provisions included discontinuing the slave trade; refusing to purchase tea; stopping all exports to and imports from Britain; selling goods at reasonable prices, and discouraging horse racing, gaming, expensive shows, and expensive funerals.
In May 1775, Cooke was once again elected to the office of Deputy Governor, and Joseph Wanton
was elected for the seventh time as Governor. Wanton, however, had maintained a very conservative position regarding Great Britain, and did not want to break the ties binding the mother country to the colonies. Meanwhile, the General Assembly took on a strong stance toward independence, and detailed four points against Wanton, after which the magistrates were forbidden to administer to him the oath of office during their June meeting. Wanton refused to approve the creation of an army of 1500 men, would not sign commissions for officers, neglected to issue a proclamation for the fast-day appointed by the Assembly, and did not take an oath of office. Wanton addressed the four points in a letter to the Assembly, but to no effect. Without an impeachment trial, Wanton was suspended from his office, with Cooke becoming acting governor. The suspension act against Wanton was continued during each Assembly session until November, and having failed to give satisfaction to the Assembly, and continuing to manifest Tory
sympathies, he was formally deposed on 7 November 1775. Cooke became the Governor, with William Bradford of Bristol
becoming Deputy Governor, and served out the remainder of Wanton's term before being elected for two additional one-year terms.
The town of Newport
was highly exposed, being on an island in the Narragansett Bay
, and one of the first acts of the Assembly under Cooke involved the removal of the colony's treasures, records and offices from there to Providence. Acts were also passed for raising and equipping troops; defining the pay of officers and men; securing arms, tents and provisions for an army; choosing a Committee of Safety; and choosing officers of the Army of Observations, of which Nathanael Greene
was made the Brigadier General. Two vessels were to be manned and armed to protect the trade of the colony, and put under the command of Abraham Whipple
, leader of the Gaspee raid
, with the rank of Commodore.
Post offices and post riders were established to promote communication between the colonies, and a proclamation was issued commanding every able man in the colony to completely equip himself with arms and ammunition. On 15 September 1775 the General Assembly was persuaded to build and equip an American fleet as soon as possible. This forerunner of the American Navy was placed under the command of Admiral Esek Hopkins
, brother of Governor Stephen Hopkins
.
The exposed town of Newport was depopulated, with enemy ships sailing freely in the surrounding waters. An act was also passed to encourage the manufacture of saltpeter
and gunpowder
, required of musket
s and artillery
pieces. In January a memorial was adopted and forwarded to Congress by Cooke, detailing the exposed condition of the colony with its 130 miles of coastline, two navigable rivers and a hostile fleet in its waters constantly plundering the islands and shores. Cooke enumerated the efforts made by the colony in its own behalf, but also asked for continental aid.
of the 13 colonies was signed in Philadelphia. This act repealed a previous Act of Allegiance to the Crown, and declared that the King's name and authority in this colony was void. The courts of law would no longer be considered the King's Courts, and all commissions and writs would no longer be in the name of the King, but instead in the name of the Governor and Company of this colony. The act was drawn by Colonel Jonathan Arnold, a descendant of Governor Benedict Arnold
, and passed the Upper House unanimously, with only six dissenting votes in the Lower House. The phrase "God save the King" was now officially replaced with the phrase "God save the United Colonies." The first act following this local act of independence was to provide instruction to Stephen Hopkins and William Ellery, the colony's two delegates to the Continental Congress
.
In late July 1776 the legal title of the government was changed by the General Assembly to "The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." The recording of the Assembly minutes closed with the words "God save the United States."
The August session of the Assembly was the last to be held in Newport for the next four years, with the pending occupation of Aquidneck Island
(Rhode Island) by British Forces. In December 1776 seven ships and four frigate
s under the command of Sir Peter Parker
appeared off Block Island
and went up the sound to join a fleet of 70 transports with about 6000 troops, destined for Newport. Summons went out from the colony to as far as New Hampshire
for aid. Women and children in seaboard towns had already been advised to move, with their furniture, to the interior, and livestock was driven off from the larger islands. Rhode Island had about 700 troops on the island when the enemy landed at Middletown
. After a night of pillaging, the British troops marched into Newport on 8 December under the command of General Clinton
. The Rhode Island troops left the island, moving to Tiverton and Bristol
. Assistance poured in from neighboring states, and the Americans assumed defensible positions on each side of the bay.
Providence had been given up to military occupation as well, and the college
exercises were suspended, with the building being occupied as a barracks, and then later as a military hospital. General Benedict Arnold
was sent by Washington
to Providence in January 1677 to assist with the defense of Rhode Island, and the Marquis de Lafayette entered service at the same time, greatly facilitating the American cause.
Cooke, desperate for additional troops, ordered a new brigade be raised in Rhode Island. Washington disapproved of the move, fearing it would interfere with the enlistment of the two battalions already assigned to the state. The general wrote two earnest letters on the subject, but when Cooke presented the situation to him, Washington ultimately approved of the plan, and thanked the State for its exertions.
as Attorney General
, and Marchant then became Rhode Island's third delegate to the Congress along with Hopkins and Ellery. For the next year Cooke dealt with the issues, often dire, brought about by the war. Weary of his responsibilities after serving for nearly three years as a wartime governor, Cooke retired from office in May 1678, and was replaced by William Greene
, the son of former colonial Governor William Greene
. In addition to Cooke, his Deputy Governor, William Bradford, also declined re-election in 1778, and both men were publicly thanked by the General Assembly for "their patriotic zeal, firmness, and intrepidity." Cooke's service and public record, said historian Thomas W. Bicknell
, "give a high conception of the excellent good sense and wise judgment of the Governor."
Cooke died on 14 November 1782 and was buried in the North Burial Ground
in Providence.
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original English Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of North America that, after the American Revolution, became the modern U.S...
during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, and after Rhode Island became a state, he continued in this position to become the first Governor of the State of Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. Born in the maritime town of Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, he early in life followed the sea, eventually becoming a Captain of ships. This occupation led him to become a merchant, becoming highly successful in this endeavor, and he ran a distillery and rope-making business as well. He is depicted as one of the affluent merchants in John Greenwood
John Greenwood (artist)
John Greenwood was an early American portrait painter and engraver.Greenwood was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1727. He apprenticed with Thomas Johnston, a sign painter and engraver from 1742 to 1745 where he copied various English works. Besides portraits, Greenwood painted many satirical works...
's satirical painting from the 1750s entitled Sea Captains Carousing in Surinam.
Cooke first became politically active in 1752 when elected as an Assistant from Providence, which position he held for a total of four years. He devoted most of his energy to mercantile pursuits and local government in the 1760s, and in 1766 represented his Congregational Church in becoming a trustee of the new college in Rhode Island, later named Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
. In 1768 he was elected as Deputy Governor of the Rhode Island colony under Josias Lyndon
Josias Lyndon
Josias Lyndon was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving for a single one-year term. He was the son of Samuel and Priscilla Lyndon of Newport, the grandson of Josias Lyndon of Newport, and the great grandson of Augustin Lyndon, a shipwright in Boston in the...
as Governor. He stepped down from this position after a year, but in 1775, after the war with Great Britain had begun, he was once again elected as Deputy Governor, this time under Governor Joseph Wanton
Joseph Wanton
Joseph Wanton was a merchant and governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations from 1769 to 1775. Not wanting to go to war with Britain, he has been branded as a Loyalist, but he remained neutral during the war, and he and his property were not disturbed.Born in Newport of a...
. Maintaining Loyalist
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
sympathies, Wanton was officially deposed as Governor in November 1775, and Cooke was then named to succeed him. When Cooke was re-elected to the Governorship in May 1776, the most important act of his tenure took place: by decree of the General Assembly, the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations officially broke ties with Great Britain, this occurring two months before the signing of the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
by the 13 American colonies.
During the nearly three years of Cooke's tenure as governor, he had to constantly deal with issues stemming from the war with Britain. One of the most difficult situations was the British capture and occupation of Newport, which required evacuation before the British troops arrived. The war took a heavy toll on Cooke, and in 1678 he refused re-election, being replaced by William Greene
William Greene (Rhode Island governor)
William Greene was the second Governor of Rhode Island after it became a state. His father, William Greene, had served as governor when Rhode Island was still a British colony....
. Cooke lived for four more years after his retirement, dying in Providence in November 1782. He is buried in the North Burial Ground
North Burial Ground
The North Burial Ground is a cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island, dating to 1700. Providence had no public burial ground and no Common until the year 1700 because Rhode Island's religious and government institutions were so rigorously kept distinct, dating back to its founding by Roger...
in Providence.
Early life
Born in ProvidenceProvidence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original English Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of North America that, after the American Revolution, became the modern U.S...
on 3 February 1717, Nicholas Cooke was the son of Daniel Cooke and Mary Power. Early in his life he followed the sea, and eventually became the master of ships, which led to his later vocation as a merchant. He also operated a distillery and a rope making business. After acquiring a fortune, he invested his assets in land in the colonies of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
Cooke first became politically active at the age of 35, when he was elected as an Assistant from Providence in 1752, being elected again to this position three more times within seven years. In the mid 1750s, the Boston portraitist, John Greenwood
John Greenwood (artist)
John Greenwood was an early American portrait painter and engraver.Greenwood was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1727. He apprenticed with Thomas Johnston, a sign painter and engraver from 1742 to 1745 where he copied various English works. Besides portraits, Greenwood painted many satirical works...
followed a group of sea captains and merchants to Surinam on the northeast coast of South America. The trading usually took time, so the men often waited in pubs. Being commissioned by the merchants to create a satirical painting, Greenwood concocted a 22-figure tavern scene, showing himself among the affluent traders, all subject to the "intoxicating effects of alcohol and economic ambition." Different accounts agree that Cooke is the man wearing a hat, seated at the back of the table, facing right and smoking a pipe.
Cooke became a trustee of Rhode Island's new college, later named Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, in 1766 and served in that role until his death. As a trustee he represented the Beneficient Congregational Church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
, of which he had been a member since 1647.
In 1768 Cooke became the Deputy Governor of the colony under Josias Lyndon
Josias Lyndon
Josias Lyndon was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving for a single one-year term. He was the son of Samuel and Priscilla Lyndon of Newport, the grandson of Josias Lyndon of Newport, and the great grandson of Augustin Lyndon, a shipwright in Boston in the...
, both men leaving their offices after one year. As difficulties with Great Britain worsened, and the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
formed, Cooke became chairman of the Providence Committee of Inspection. He was responsible for seeing that the town faithfully adhered to the declarations of the Congress relating to trade with Great Britain. Some of the provisions included discontinuing the slave trade; refusing to purchase tea; stopping all exports to and imports from Britain; selling goods at reasonable prices, and discouraging horse racing, gaming, expensive shows, and expensive funerals.
Joseph Wanton
Joseph Wanton was a merchant and governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations from 1769 to 1775. Not wanting to go to war with Britain, he has been branded as a Loyalist, but he remained neutral during the war, and he and his property were not disturbed.Born in Newport of a...
was elected for the seventh time as Governor. Wanton, however, had maintained a very conservative position regarding Great Britain, and did not want to break the ties binding the mother country to the colonies. Meanwhile, the General Assembly took on a strong stance toward independence, and detailed four points against Wanton, after which the magistrates were forbidden to administer to him the oath of office during their June meeting. Wanton refused to approve the creation of an army of 1500 men, would not sign commissions for officers, neglected to issue a proclamation for the fast-day appointed by the Assembly, and did not take an oath of office. Wanton addressed the four points in a letter to the Assembly, but to no effect. Without an impeachment trial, Wanton was suspended from his office, with Cooke becoming acting governor. The suspension act against Wanton was continued during each Assembly session until November, and having failed to give satisfaction to the Assembly, and continuing to manifest Tory
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
sympathies, he was formally deposed on 7 November 1775. Cooke became the Governor, with William Bradford of Bristol
Bristol, Rhode Island
Bristol is a town in and the historic county seat of Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,954 at the 2010 census. Bristol, a deepwater seaport, is named after Bristol, England....
becoming Deputy Governor, and served out the remainder of Wanton's term before being elected for two additional one-year terms.
Governorship
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
was highly exposed, being on an island in the Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound. Covering 147 mi2 , the Bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor, and includes a small archipelago...
, and one of the first acts of the Assembly under Cooke involved the removal of the colony's treasures, records and offices from there to Providence. Acts were also passed for raising and equipping troops; defining the pay of officers and men; securing arms, tents and provisions for an army; choosing a Committee of Safety; and choosing officers of the Army of Observations, of which Nathanael Greene
Nathanael Greene
Nathanael Greene was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. When the war began, Greene was a militia private, the lowest rank possible; he emerged from the war with a reputation as George Washington's most gifted and dependable officer. Many places in the United...
was made the Brigadier General. Two vessels were to be manned and armed to protect the trade of the colony, and put under the command of Abraham Whipple
Abraham Whipple
Abraham Whipple was an American revolutionary naval commander in the Continental Navy. Whipple was born near Providence, Rhode Island and chose to be a seafarer early in his life. He embarked upon a career in the lucrative West Indies trade, working for Moses and John Brown...
, leader of the Gaspee raid
Gaspée Affair
The Gaspée Affair was a significant event in the lead-up to the American Revolution. The HMS Gaspée, a British customs schooner that had been enforcing unpopular trade regulations, ran aground in shallow water on June 9, 1772, near what is now known as Gaspee Point in the city of Warwick, Rhode...
, with the rank of Commodore.
Post offices and post riders were established to promote communication between the colonies, and a proclamation was issued commanding every able man in the colony to completely equip himself with arms and ammunition. On 15 September 1775 the General Assembly was persuaded to build and equip an American fleet as soon as possible. This forerunner of the American Navy was placed under the command of Admiral Esek Hopkins
Esek Hopkins
Commodore Esek Hopkins was the first and only Commander in Chief of the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. He was also an accomplished merchant captain and privateer.-Early life and career:...
, brother of Governor Stephen Hopkins
Stephen Hopkins (politician)
Stephen Hopkins was an American political leader from Rhode Island who signed the Declaration of Independence. He served as the Chief Justice and Governor of the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and was a Delegate to the Colonial Congress in Albany in 1754 and to the...
.
The exposed town of Newport was depopulated, with enemy ships sailing freely in the surrounding waters. An act was also passed to encourage the manufacture of saltpeter
Saltpeter
Saltpeter or saltpetre often refers to:*Potassium nitrate, or the mineral niter, the critical oxidizing component of gunpowder, and a food preservative.It may also refer to:...
and gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
, required of musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
s and artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
pieces. In January a memorial was adopted and forwarded to Congress by Cooke, detailing the exposed condition of the colony with its 130 miles of coastline, two navigable rivers and a hostile fleet in its waters constantly plundering the islands and shores. Cooke enumerated the efforts made by the colony in its own behalf, but also asked for continental aid.
Rhode Island declares independence
In May 1776 Cooke won the election as Governor of the colony, and at the same time the most noteworthy act of his tenure occurred. On 4 May the Assembly met in Providence and passed "the last important act in the colonial history of Rhode Island," the Declaration of Independence of the Rhode Island colony from Great Britain a full two months before the Declaration of IndependenceDeclaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
of the 13 colonies was signed in Philadelphia. This act repealed a previous Act of Allegiance to the Crown, and declared that the King's name and authority in this colony was void. The courts of law would no longer be considered the King's Courts, and all commissions and writs would no longer be in the name of the King, but instead in the name of the Governor and Company of this colony. The act was drawn by Colonel Jonathan Arnold, a descendant of Governor Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold (governor)
Benedict Arnold was president and then governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving for a total of 11 years in these roles. Coming from Somerset, England, he was born and raised in the town of Ilchester, likely attending school in Limington, nearby...
, and passed the Upper House unanimously, with only six dissenting votes in the Lower House. The phrase "God save the King" was now officially replaced with the phrase "God save the United Colonies." The first act following this local act of independence was to provide instruction to Stephen Hopkins and William Ellery, the colony's two delegates to the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
.
In late July 1776 the legal title of the government was changed by the General Assembly to "The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." The recording of the Assembly minutes closed with the words "God save the United States."
Newport captured and occupied
Aquidneck Island
Aquidneck Island, located in the state of Rhode Island, is the largest island in Narragansett Bay. The island's official name is Rhode Island, and the common use of name "Aquidneck Island" helps distinguish the island from the state. The total land area is 97.9 km²...
(Rhode Island) by British Forces. In December 1776 seven ships and four frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
s under the command of Sir Peter Parker
Sir Peter Parker, 1st Baronet
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Peter Parker, 1st Baronet was a British naval officer.-Naval career:Peter Parker was born probably in Ireland. He became a lieutenant in the Royal Navy in 1743 and captain in 1747. In 1761, he took command of HMS Buckingham and helped cover operations on Belle Île...
appeared off Block Island
Block Island
Block Island is part of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and is located in the Atlantic Ocean approximately south of the coast of Rhode Island, east of Montauk Point on Long Island, and is separated from the Rhode Island mainland by Block Island Sound. The United States Census Bureau defines Block...
and went up the sound to join a fleet of 70 transports with about 6000 troops, destined for Newport. Summons went out from the colony to as far as New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
for aid. Women and children in seaboard towns had already been advised to move, with their furniture, to the interior, and livestock was driven off from the larger islands. Rhode Island had about 700 troops on the island when the enemy landed at Middletown
Middletown, Rhode Island
Middletown is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 16,150 at the 2010 census. It lies to the south of Portsmouth and to the north of Newport on Aquidneck Island, hence the name "Middletown."-Geography:...
. After a night of pillaging, the British troops marched into Newport on 8 December under the command of General Clinton
Henry Clinton (American War of Independence)
General Sir Henry Clinton KB was a British army officer and politician, best known for his service as a general during the American War of Independence. First arriving in Boston in May 1775, from 1778 to 1782 he was the British Commander-in-Chief in North America...
. The Rhode Island troops left the island, moving to Tiverton and Bristol
Bristol, Rhode Island
Bristol is a town in and the historic county seat of Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,954 at the 2010 census. Bristol, a deepwater seaport, is named after Bristol, England....
. Assistance poured in from neighboring states, and the Americans assumed defensible positions on each side of the bay.
Providence had been given up to military occupation as well, and the college
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
exercises were suspended, with the building being occupied as a barracks, and then later as a military hospital. General Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
was sent by Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
to Providence in January 1677 to assist with the defense of Rhode Island, and the Marquis de Lafayette entered service at the same time, greatly facilitating the American cause.
Cooke, desperate for additional troops, ordered a new brigade be raised in Rhode Island. Washington disapproved of the move, fearing it would interfere with the enlistment of the two battalions already assigned to the state. The general wrote two earnest letters on the subject, but when Cooke presented the situation to him, Washington ultimately approved of the plan, and thanked the State for its exertions.
Late tenure
In May 1677 the same State officers were elected except William Channing replaced Henry MarchantHenry Marchant
Henry Marchant was American lawyer from Newport, Rhode Island and United States federal judge. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1777 to 1779, and was a signer of the Articles of Confederation for Rhode Island.-Life of service:Born in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, Marchant...
as Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
, and Marchant then became Rhode Island's third delegate to the Congress along with Hopkins and Ellery. For the next year Cooke dealt with the issues, often dire, brought about by the war. Weary of his responsibilities after serving for nearly three years as a wartime governor, Cooke retired from office in May 1678, and was replaced by William Greene
William Greene (Rhode Island governor)
William Greene was the second Governor of Rhode Island after it became a state. His father, William Greene, had served as governor when Rhode Island was still a British colony....
, the son of former colonial Governor William Greene
William Greene (colonial governor)
William Greene was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. He was a clerk of the county court in Providence, deputy from Warwick, speaker of the Rhode Island Assembly, and then deputy governor from 1740 to 1743...
. In addition to Cooke, his Deputy Governor, William Bradford, also declined re-election in 1778, and both men were publicly thanked by the General Assembly for "their patriotic zeal, firmness, and intrepidity." Cooke's service and public record, said historian Thomas W. Bicknell
Thomas W. Bicknell
Thomas W. Bicknell , American educator, historian, and author, lived to be 91.Bicknell, born in Barrington, Rhode Island, he was the son of a farmer, minister, state legislator, and Colonel in the Bristol County, Rhode Island Militia, Thomas would become a wealthy eastern historian and educator...
, "give a high conception of the excellent good sense and wise judgment of the Governor."
Cooke died on 14 November 1782 and was buried in the North Burial Ground
North Burial Ground
The North Burial Ground is a cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island, dating to 1700. Providence had no public burial ground and no Common until the year 1700 because Rhode Island's religious and government institutions were so rigorously kept distinct, dating back to its founding by Roger...
in Providence.
Family
In 1740 Cooke married Hannah, the daughter of Hezekiah Sabin, with whom he had 12 children. One of his descendants was the Honorable George L. Cooke of Providence.See also
- List of Governors of Rhode Island
- List of colonial governors of Rhode Island
- List of lieutenant governors of Rhode Island
- Colony of Rhode Island and Providence PlantationsColony of Rhode Island and Providence PlantationsThe Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original English Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of North America that, after the American Revolution, became the modern U.S...