Peter Cooke (politician)
Peter Cooke | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Peter Stryker Cooke March 7, 1949 Miami, Florida, US |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Heather Nelson |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | Utah State University, Logan (BA, MA) United States Army War College |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Rank |  Major General |
Peter Stryker Cooke (born March 7, 1949) is an American businessman, politician and retired Army Reservist. In 2012, he was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Utah.
Early life
[edit]Cooke was born in Miami, Florida. Cooke's father was a pilot for Pan American Airlines and his family traveled frequently. Cooke graduated from Frankfurt American High School in 1967.[1] Cooke moved to Utah from Germany to attend the Utah State University (USU) forestry program. Instead, however, Cooke earned a bachelor's degree in 1971 and a master's degree in 1973 from USU in political science. During his time at USU, Cooke was a member of the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC).[2][3]
Career
[edit]After graduating from USU, Cooke served in the United States Army Reserves. In 2009 he was awarded the Army Community of Excellence Award.[4] After 39 years in the military, he retired with the rank of major general. He served as commander of the 96th (reserve) Regional Readiness Command before his retirement.[2][3]
Cooke ran for a congressional bid in 1978, but was not elected. Under Governor Scott M. Matheson, Cooke served as the director of economic development for Utah.[2] In 2012, Cooke declared his candidacy for Governor of Utah.[5]
Cooke was called as Mission President for the Washington DC North Mission for three years starting in June 2013.[6]
Personal life
[edit]Cooke is the father of five children: Sara, Howard, Carolyn, Joseph, and Elizabeth. His wife's name is Heather who has worked as a lawyer.
References
[edit]- ^ "MEET PETE | PETER COOKE FOR GOVERNOR". Archived from the original on 2012-11-05.
- ^ a b c Gehrke, Robert (29 February 2012). "Gubernatorial candidate Peter Cooke says Utah lacks, needs leadership". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
- ^ a b "Peter Cooke". Utah Democrats. Archived from the original on 2012-08-08. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
- ^ Woods, Caralee (May 2, 2012). "Record turnout at the Utah Democratic State Convention". Southern Utah News. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
- ^ McEntee, Peg (29 February 2012). "Democrat Peter Cooke launches fiery run for Utah governor". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
- ^ "2 widely-known Utahns called as new mission presidents".