Background
Cook was born near Salisbury, North Carolina, the son of William and Susanna (née Hill) Cook.
Cook was born near Salisbury, North Carolina, the son of William and Susanna (née Hill) Cook.
He also built the west wing of the original main building of the University of Texas at Austin (since demolished) and the first state penitentiary in Huntsville. He may have done a construction apprenticeship in Salisbury. At age 21, Cook moved to Macon, Georgia and found work in construction.
When the Panic of 1837 brought building to a halt, Cook moved to Nashville, Tennessee, but there was little work to be found in Nashville, and he moved to Texas in 1839.
Cook settled in Austin and supported himself with private commissions for houses and furniture. During this time there was little building construction in Austin so he partnered in 1840 with Jacob Higgins in ownership of The Higgins Mill in Bastrop.
As more trained architects moved to Austin after the Civil War, Cook concentrated on construction. He built residences, commercial buildings and the west wing of the main building of the newly founded University of Texas.
He died on February 22, 1884 in Austin and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery.