William Cocke
Encyclopedia
William Cocke 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.
in 1748. 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 state 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.
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.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer, pioneer, and statesman. He has the distinction of having served in the state legislature of four different states: Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, and Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, and was one of the first two United States senators
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
for Tennessee.
Biography
William was born in Amelia County, VirginiaAmelia County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,400 people, 4,240 households, and 3,175 families residing in the county. The population density was 32 people per square mile . There were 4,609 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
in 1748. 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
Reading law
Reading law is the method by which persons in common law countries, particularly the United States, entered the legal profession before the advent of law schools. This usage specifically refers to a means of entering the profession . A small number of U.S...
. He was admitted to the bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
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
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
, seeing much of what was to become eastern Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and East Tennessee
East Tennessee
East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...
. He was elected a member of the Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
House of Burgesses
House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the first assembly of elected representatives of English colonists in North America. The House was established by the Virginia Company, who created the body as part of an effort to encourage English craftsmen to settle in North America...
and a colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
of militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
; in 1776, he led four companies of that militia into to what became Tennessee for action against the Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. Later that year, he left Virginia and moved to what was to become Tennessee. During the attempted organization of the State of Franklin
State of Franklin
The State of Franklin, known also as the Free Republic of Franklin or the State of Frankland , was an unrecognized autonomous United States territory created in 1784 from part of the territory west of the Appalachian Mountains that had been offered,...
, Cocke was elected as the would-be state's delegate to the Congress of the Confederation
Congress of the Confederation
The Congress of the Confederation or the United States in Congress Assembled was the governing body of the United States of America that existed from March 1, 1781, to March 4, 1789. It comprised delegates appointed by the legislatures of the states. It was the immediate successor to the Second...
.
In 1796, Cocke was chosen as a delegate to the convention that wrote the first Tennessee state constitution. The newly formed government then selected Cocke to be one of the new state's
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
initial senators, along with William Blount
William Blount
William Blount, was a United States statesman. He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention for North Carolina, the first and only governor of the Southwest Territory, and Democratic-Republican Senator from Tennessee . He played a major role in establishing the state of Tennessee. He was the...
. 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.
His initial term expired on March 4, 1797. However, the Tennessee General Assembly
Tennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional structure:According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of...
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
John Sevier
John Sevier served four years as the only governor of the State of Franklin and twelve years as Governor of Tennessee. As a U.S. Representative from Tennessee from 1811 until his death...
on April 22, 1797, until the General Assembly belatedly elected his successor, Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
. 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
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
of the First Judicial Circuit of Tennessee in 1809. He later resigned this position and moved to Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. There, he was elected to the state legislature in 1813. He briefly returned to military duty, serving under Andrew Jackson in the Creek War
Creek War
The Creek War , also known as the Red Stick War and the Creek Civil War, began as a civil war within the Creek nation...
. In 1814, he was appointed by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
to be Indian agent
Indian agent
In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with Native American tribes on behalf of the U.S. government.-Indian agents:*Leander Clark was agent for the Sac and Fox in Iowa beginning in 1866....
to the Chickasaw
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw are Native American people originally from the region that would become the Southeastern United States...
nation; he died in Columbus
Columbus, Mississippi
Columbus is a city in Lowndes County, Mississippi, United States that lies above the Tombigbee River. It is approximately northeast of Jackson, north of Meridian, south of Tupelo, northwest of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and west of Birmingham, Alabama. The population was 25,944 at the 2000 census...
, Lowndes County, Mississippi
Lowndes County, Mississippi
As of the census of 2000, there were 61,586 people, 22,849 households, and 16,405 families residing in the county. The population density was 123 people per square mile . There were 25,104 housing units at an average density of 50 per square mile...
, in 1828 and is buried there, in Friendship Cemetery.
Cocke County, Tennessee is named in his honor. His son John Alexander Cocke
John Alexander Cocke
John Alexander Cocke was an American politician who represented Tennessee as a member of the United States House of Representatives. He was born in Brunswick, Nottoway County, Virginia in 1772. He moved with his parents to Tennessee, where he attended the public schools...
(1772–1854) was a four-term U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Tennessee; his grandson, William Michael Cocke
William Michael Cocke
William Michael Cocke was an American politician who represented Tennessee's second district in the United States House of Representatives.-Biography:...
(1815–1896), was a two-term U.S. Representative from Tennessee.