Background
Cooke, Richard Joseph was born on January 31, 1853 in New York City. Son of Richard and Joana (Geary) Cooke.
Cooke, Richard Joseph was born on January 31, 1853 in New York City. Son of Richard and Joana (Geary) Cooke.
Richard graduated in 1880 from East Tennessee Wesleyan University. He afterwards studied at the University of Berlin, Germany. The University of Tennessee awarded him the honorary degree Doctor of Divinity Likewise, Willamette University awarded the Doctor of Laws
He also distinguished himself as a Pastor, an Editor, a Theologian, an Author, and a university administrator. He came South at an early age, working as a timekeeper for a railroad construction company for a time. Richard married Eliza Gettys Fisher 20 April 1881.
They had four children.
She died in 1904. Richard was admitted to the Central Tennessee Annual Conference of the Mechanical Engineering Church, South in 1873. He also served as a Pastor in the Holston Conference, where he served the Cleveland, Tennessee church, and First Methodist of Knoxville.
He also taught at both Athens University and Chattanooga University. Later he was also the Editor of the Methodist Advocate Journal.
A break in his health led to his retirement in 1920.
He died Christmas Day, 25 December 1931. He was buried at Athens, Tennessee.
Member General Conference of Methodist Episcopal Church Church 5 times, Ecumenical Conference, England, 1901. Member Commission, on Unification of Methodist Episcopal Church and Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
Married Eliza Gettys Fisher, April. Married second, Ella B. Fisher, of Athens, 1908. Children: Richard Warren, James Fisher, William Rule, Francis Joyce.