Douglas Cooke
Sir James Douglas Cooke, FRCS (1879 – 13 July 1949) was a Conservative politician from England. He served as the British Conservative politician for Hammersmith South In 1931, he became a member of Parliament, where he remained until 1945.[1] He was knighted in the King's Birthday Honours list in 1945.[2][3]
Personal background
[edit]James Douglas Cooke was born in 1879 in Melbourne, Australia, the eldest son of John Cooke, a pastoralist who had lived in New Zealand.[4] In 1907, Cooke married Elsie Muriel. Together, they had one son and three daughters.[1] Elsie was the daughter of General James Burston and the sister of Major General Samuel Burston of Melbourne. Cooke lived in London until his death in 1949.
Professional background
[edit]Cooke was educated at Melbourne University, where he qualified in medicine and surgery, receiving his Bachelor of Medicine in 1901, and Bachelor of Surgery a year later.[1][4]
After immigrating to England, he joined the Royal College of Physicians in London in 1903, became a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons on 12 Nov 1903, and a Fellow on 1 June 1905.[4] He served in the First World War in the Royal Army Medical Corps.[1] He also ran a medical practice in Stanmore, Middlesex.
Political career
[edit]Prior to becoming an MP he had unsuccessfully contested the Peckham division of Camberwell, at the 1929 general election.[5] At the 1931 general election he contested Hammersmith South for the Conservatives. This was a seat the party had lost to Labour in 1929 by just over 400 votes. Cooke defeated the incumbent Dan Chater by 12,638 votes to regain the seat for his party.[6] He retained it in 1935 with a reduced majority of 6,068, defeating local councillor W T Adams.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Sir Douglas Cooke", The Times, (London), Thursday, 14 July 1949, page 7, Issue 51433
- ^ British Medical Journal, Volume 1945 1:S129 Supplement 2118, published 30 June 1945
- ^ Supplement to the London Gazette, 14 June 1945, page 2934
- ^ a b c Brown, G. H.; and Munk, William. (1930) 171 Lives of the Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of London, 1826-1925, Publisher: The College, pp 637
- ^ Dod's Parliamentary Companion 1936. London: P. S. King & Son, Ltd. 1936. p. 337.
- ^ The Times House of Commons 1931. London: The Times Office. 1931. p. 22.
- ^ The Times House of Commons 1935. London: The Times Office. 1935. p. 38.