A resident of Reidsville, North Carolina, he represented the state's sixty-fifth House district, which includes constituents in Rockingham County, for eight terms.
A graduate of the University of South Carolina (1962),[1][2] Cole worked as a manager for Ford Motor Company until becoming an auto dealer in 1980.
Cole has been active on transportation-related issues, sponsoring a bicycle safety law and being a member of several national transportation groups - the State Automotive Enthusiast Leadership Council[3] and the National Conference of State Legislatures standing committee on transportation.
[4] As of the 2009-2010 session, he was the co-chairman of the legislature's Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee.
[5] Cole was defeated for re-election to his House seat by conservative independent candidate Bert Jones on November 2, 2010.