H. Dale Cook

H. Dale Cook (1924–2008) was an American federal judge. He served on the bench from 1974 to 2008.

Cook was born in Guthrie, Oklahoma on April 14, 1924, and graduated from Guthrie High School in 1942. In 1943 he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps, and was commissioned as an Air Corps 2nd lieutenant. He trained fighter pilots and served on active duty until October 1945. He served in the Air Force Reserve until 1953.

Cook graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in 1949 and a law degree in 1950.

He served as Logan County attorney from 1951 to 1954, and as assistant U.S. attorney from 1954 to 1958 in Oklahoma City. From 1963 to 1965, he worked as legal counsel and adviser to then-Governor Henry Bellmon.

Cook then returned to private practice from 1965 until 1971, when he went to Washington, D.C. to serve as director of the Bureau of Hearings and Appeals of the Social Security Administration.

In 1974, Cook was appointed a federal district court judge. He became chief judge of the Northern District of Oklahoma court in February 1979 and held that role until early 1992, when he took senior status. He continued hearing cases until 2008.

In the 1980s, Cook and other federal judges in his district presided over thousands of cases as the civil docket in Oklahoma swelled due to the region-wide oil bust and savings and loan scandal.

References

*cite news | url = http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080923_297_US472187 | title = Revered federal judge H. Dale Cook dies | work = Tulsa World | date = 2008-09-23 | accessdate =