[1][4] Cooke began his career working in starch research at the Corn Products Refining Company (now Ingredion), an ingredient manufacturer in Illinois.
[1] In 1946, he joined the Visking Corporation in Chicago, where he worked on researching carbohydrate chemistry.
[1] He was promoted in 1954 to assistant manager of the technical department, and worked in a broader research capacity.
[1] In 1969, Cooke contributed to the United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Environmental Improvement publication, Cleaning Our Environment: The Chemical Basis of Action (1969), written for legislators and environmentalists.
[1] President Gerald Ford named Cooke as one of the seven chosen scientists to head the National Science Board in 1976, a role held until 1982.