“C” is for Cooke, William Wilson (1871-1949.)

“C” is for Cooke, William Wilson (1871-1949.) Architect. Born in Greenville, Cooke attended Claflin College and later studied architecture at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and art history at Columbia University. Between 1902 and 1907 he was a practicing architect working primarily in the Orangeburg area. In 1907 he passed the federal civil service examination and was assigned to the office of the supervising architect at the U.S. Treasury Department. In 1909 he was transferred to field operations where he supervised the construction of federal courthouses and post offices. He remained in the position until 1918 when he was promoted and transferred to the War Department. After World War I he practiced architecture in Gary, Indiana. The Depression ruined his business and in 1931 William Wilson Cooke returned to the supervising architect’s office as a construction engineer.