He was a veteran of World War II,[4] serving as a member of the Fourth Marine Division in the 4th Air Wing.
[5] In 1961, Cooke ran against Irving Freese and William O. Morrow in a three-way race for mayor.
He reactivated the Mayor's Committee on Intergroup Relations, which had originally been formed in 1960 to deal with local interracial problems.
[6] He won in a very close four-way race for his second term, narrowly beating Donald Irwin.
[8] He formed a new company, Cooke Vacuum Products, Inc., which he opened in space rented from the Hat Corporation of America.