Nathan E. Cook

Nathan E. Cook

Nathan Edward Cook (October 10, 1885 - September 10, 1992) was a sailor in the United States Navy during the Spanish–American War. His father, William Cook, had died in 1895, and his mother Ellen later re-married and from there Cook's family moved to Kansas City, Missouri.

Cook left a 50-cent-a-day job at a packing plant in a city from Kansas. He lied about his age (then 15) in order to join the Navy on April 9, 1901, after he saw the poster, "Join the Navy and See the World." He was assigned to the USS Pensacola. His first ship he sailed on in the Navy was named The Sailing Vessel.

As well as the Spanish–American War, Cook saw action in the Boxer Rebellion and clashes along the U.S.-Mexico border. He also saw action in the Philippine-American War, begun shortly after Spain had ceded the Philippines after losing the Spanish-American War of 1898 by Filipinos hoping to obtain independence. The Philippine-American War last from 1899 until May 1901. Cook once said his Navy life was tough but that it beat living on his Missouri farm. During his military career, Cook's shipmates nicknamed him "Northeast," derived by his shipmates from his first two initials. During World War I, he commanded a submarine chaser that sank two German U-boats. He also fought in World War II, and was stationed in Haiti and Panama.

Cook went back to his Virginia home in 1982 after his wife of 76 years, Elizabeth (July 4, 1887 - October 13, 1982), died. They had met in New York in 1901 and married in 1905. Currently, Elizabeth is buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona. Cook attributed his longevity to clean living, although he once smoked cigars. He never drank alcohol, preferring to keep tea in his flask.

When Cook turned 104, he received a congratulatory letter from George H. W. Bush and guests watched a video presentation about his life. Cook's younger daughter, Eleanor Kay of Tempe, Arizona, also said around this time: "He was a Navy man throughout. Navy. Navy. Navy. He lived for the Navy. Yes, he had a wife and family, and he enjoyed coming home to see them. But he also enjoyed getting back to his ship."

Cook was recognized as the longest surviving U.S. veteran of that war at the time of his death in 1992 (although there is a claim that Jones Morgan was a Spanish-American war veteran and survived longer). Cook was survived by two daughters and a son, five grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and four great-great grandchildren.