Joseph Cook, the sixth Prime Minister of Australia (24 June 1913 - 17 September 1914), was born at Silverdale in Staffordshire, England, on 7 December 1860.  Descended from coal-miners, Cook took over responsibility for his family after the death of his father in a mining accident in 1873.  As a young man, he became actively involved with both the Primitive Methodists and trade union affairs.

On 8 August 1885, he married Mary Turner, a school teacher from nearby Chesterton, and several months later he emigrated to Lithgow, New South Wales, gaining employment in a local colliery.  In 1887 Mary followed with their first child.  Having received little education in his youth, Cook undertook to learn accountancy skills, doing book keeping and auditing work for the municipal council and for local newspapers, the 'Lithgow Enterprise and Australian Land Nationaliser' and the 'Lithgow Mercury'.

In Lithgow, Cook resumed his involvement in trade union affairs.  He held executive positions with the local miners union, and in May 1891 he was elected president of the Labor Electoral League's Lithgow Branch.  The following month, he became member for Hartley in the NSW Legislative Assembly.  His rise in Labor politics was swift, and in October 1893 he became leader of the NSW Parliamentary Labor Party.  However, believing that members of parliament should be independent of outside influence, Cook broke from the Labor Party in early 1894 over its ruling that Labor members must follow the direction of caucus.

Consequently, in August 1894, Joseph Cook joined George Houstoun Reid's Free Trade Ministry as Postmaster-General, which he remained until August 1898 when he became Secretary for Mines and Agriculture. As a Minister, Cook implement Reid Government reforms, particularly while Postmaster-General, until Reid lost office in 1899. Soon after, Cook moved into Federal politics and at the first Federal election in March 1901 was elected the Free Trade member for Parramatta, which included much of his old state electorate.  

Cook was a member of several early House of Representatives committees, including the Select Committee on Decimal Coinage 1901, the Elections and Qualifications Committee 1901-02 and the Select Committee on the Bonuses for Manufactures Bill 1902, and during 1903-04 he served as a member of the Royal Commission on the Bonuses for Manufactures Bill.  Cook was not invited into Reid's Free Trade Ministry of August 1904 - July 1905, however, in July 1905 after the Reid Government fell, Cook was elected Deputy Leader of the Free Trade Party.  

Joseph Cook succeeded Reid as Leader of the Free Trade Party in November 1908.  The following year the Free Traders entered into a 'fusion' with Alfred Deakin's Protectionists.  The 'Fusion' Ministry led by Alfred Deakin held office from 2 June 1909 - 24 April 1910, during which time Cook was Deputy Leader and Minister for Defence.  As Minister for Defence, Cook introduced the Defence Act 1909 (entailing compulsory military training and the establishment of a military college), finalised arrangements for the establishment of the Royal Australian Navy and oversaw Lord Kitchener's 1910 visit to Australia to report on Australian defence.  When the Deakin Government lost office in April 1910 to Andrew Fisher's Labor Party, the 'fusion' was formally consolidated into the new Liberal Party.  Cook was elected Leader of the Party upon Deakin's retirement in January 1913.  

At the elections of May 1913, Cook's Liberals defeated the Labor Government and on 24 June 1913 Cook became Prime Minister.  With only a small majority in the House of Representatives and a minority in the Senate, Cook had little chance to push legislative changes through Parliament, although the Norfolk Island Act of 1913 passed control of Norfolk Island from Britain to Australia.  In August 1914, war broke out in Europe and Cook pledged his Government's support to Britain in the form of the Royal Australian Navy and volunteer troops.  Soon after, the deadlock in parliament provoked a double dissolution and the Liberal Party lost office at the September elections.  Cook had been appointed a Privy Councillor in 1914, during his term as Prime Minister, but was now once again Leader of the Opposition.

In 1916, Cook supported Prime Minister William Morris Hughes' pro-conscription stance.  Hughes and his supporters split from the Labor Party over the conscription issue and formed the Nationalist Party with which the Liberal Party went into coalition.  Cook served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Navy and in May 1917, when the two parties officially combined, Cook became deputy leader of the Nationalist Party.

Cook and Hughes traveled to Britain in 1918 to represent Australia at the Imperial War Conference and in the Imperial War Cabinet.  While there, Cook received a knighthood (a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George), becoming Sir Joseph Cook.  The following year they both attended the Versailles Peace Conference, where Cook was involved in the commission to determine the borders of Czechoslovakia.

From mid-1920 to late 1921 Cook held his last portfolio as Treasurer, during which time he also served as Acting Prime Minister from April to September 1921.  In November 1921, Cook resigned from Parliament to become Australian High Commissioner to Britain, a position he retained until May 1927.  During this period he represented Australia several times in the League of Nations Assembly.

Cook's last public duty before retirement was as chairman of the 1928-29 Federal Royal Commission on the Finances of South Australia as affected by Federation. Sir Joseph died on 30 July 1947 at Bellevue Hill, Sydney. Dame Mary (CP 937) died on 24 September 1950.

 
Sources

Rickard, John, 'Sir Joseph Cook' in M Grattan (ed), Australian Prime Ministers, (Sydney, New Holland, 2000), pp. 88-98

The Australian Dictionary of Biography, (Melbourne University Press, 1981), Vol 8, 1891-1939, pp 96-99

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Handbook, Fifth Issue, 1926