Career
Cooke was elected to the East Orange City Council in 1961, at age 32, and was re-elected in 1969 and 1969. In 1967, Cooke became a candidate for the New Jersey General Assembly, running in Essex County District 11D. Cooke and his running mate, Frank J. Dodd, a future New Jersey Senate President and 1981 Democratic gubernatorial candidate, easily defeated Francis T. Craig in the Democratic primary. He was elected to the Essex County Board of Freeholders in 1970, and was re-elected in 1973.
He was not a candidate for re-election to a third term in 1976 after losing the backing of the powerful Essex County Democratic Chairman, Harry Lerner.
He ran for Mayor in 1977, defeating Lerner"s candidate, two term Mayor William Stanford Hart, Senior in the Democratic primary. Cooke made an unsuccessful comeback bid in 1997, challenging incumbent Mayor Robert L. Bowser in the Democratic primary.
He finished fifth in that race with just 520 votes (48%). Bowser defeated Sheila Oliver 3,991 (37%) to 3,939 (36%).
