William Gordon Cooke (March 26, 1803 – December 24, 1847) was a New Orleans druggist from Virginia, who volunteered for service in the Texas Revolution; fighting at Béxar and San Jacinto, he rose to the rank of major in the Texian Army.

When Colonel Grant announced his intentions to join the Mexican Federalists, Captain Cooke was ordered back to Goliad, from where he was sent with two prisoners-of-war to Washington on the Brazos.

President Lamar appointed him commissary of subsistence 1839, one of the commissioners to sign treaties with the Comanches 1840, and as such participating in the Council House Fight in San Antonio.

[4][7][9] As such, Colonel Cooke was in charge of building the military road from Preston on the Red River to Austin, and constructing Fort Johnson near the present town of Denison.

[10][11] After the disbandment of the regular Texas army in 1841, Colonel Cooke was offered to run for vice president of the Republic, but he declined and was appointed senior civilian member of the Texan Santa Fe Expedition the same year.

[13] Back in Texas, Colonel Cooke participated in the defeat of Mexican General Adrián Woll at Arroyo Hondo in 1842, where he was lightly wounded by a grape shot.

[14] President Houston appointed him quartermaster-general, which did not stop him from joining Edwin Ward Moore's expedition to Yucatán aboard the sloop-of-war Austin, and took part in the sea battle of Campeche 1843.