Cook, Vern (Robert Vernon), 1925-2008
Biography
Robert Vernon "Vern" Cook was born near St. Francis, Kansas, in 1925. His family moved to Las Animas, Colorado, around 1930, then to Gresham, Oregon, in 1937. He enrolled at Reed College in 1938 with the intention of joining the Navy after graduation, but he contracted polio and wasn’t able to graduate until 1948. He began attending University of Oregon law school in 1949 while supporting himself by working concessions with his brother in California. He graduated in 1952 and passed the Oregon state bar soon after. He opened a law office in Gresham and founded the Gresham Bar Association. He married Beryl Kirkwood in 1956 just before winning his first election to the state legislature. He was a liberal Democrat who represented Multnomah County in the Oregon House of Representatives from 1957 to 1960 and in the Oregon Senate from 1961 to 1980. After leaving the Legislature, he continued working as a lawyer. He died in 2008.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Oral history interview with Vern Cook
Oral history interview with Robert Vernon "Vern" Cook conducted by Clark Hansen from December 15, 1994- October 15, 1995, as part of the Oregon Legislature Oral History Series. Cook was an Oregon state representative and senator.