Career
He was elected to Belfast City Council in 1973, a position he held until 1985. In 1978, he became the first non-unionist Lord Mayor of Belfast since partition (the pro-Home Rule Liberal William James Pirrie having held the post in the 1890s). He stood for APNI in Belfast South in the February 1974 general election, taking just under 10% of the vote.
He was able to improve to 27% of the vote at the Belfast South by-election, 1982.
He also stood for Alliance in the European Parliament election, 1984, but took only 4% of the vote. From 1980 until 1984, Cook served as the Deputy Leader of APNI. In 1994, Cook became the Chairman of the Police Authority of Northern Ireland, but he was sacked from this role in 1996 after losing a vote of confidence.
After a critical account of his role appeared in 1998, he undertook a lengthy libel case, ultimately settled out of court. He subsequently sat on the Craigavon Health and Social Services Trust.
