He then engaged in mercantile pursuits while he studied law.

He married Sarah Ann Dowdny and they had six children, Helena, Frederick, Margaret, Joseph, David, and William.

[1] Bokee was President of the Brooklyn Board of Aldermen from 1840 to 1843; and again from 1845 to 1848.

He was also a Trustee of the New York Life Insurance Company from 1848 to 1860.

[2] Bokee died on March 15, 1860, in Washington, D.C.; and was buried at the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.