Cocke, William M.

Born: 1815-07-16 Rutledge, Tennessee

Died: 1896-02-06 Nashville, Tennessee

Cocke pursued classical studies and graduated from East Tennessee College in Knoxville. He studied law, earned admittance to the bar, and commenced a practice in Rutledge and Nashville. Cocke won election to the Tennessee House of Representatives. He won election, as a Whig, to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving from 1845 to 1849. He served alongside Abraham Lincoln during the Thirtieth Congress. He held various local and state offices. He was the grandson of William Cocke and nephew of John Cocke.

Biographical Directory of the American Congress 1774-1996 (Alexandria, VA: CQ Staff Directories, 1997), 838; Gravestone, Mount Olivet Cemetery, Nashville, TN.