Prominent Belleville lawyer, political leader was still practicing weeks before death at 84
Funeral arrangements have been made for Bruce N. Cook, a prominent Belleville attorney and former power broker in Democratic Party politics, who died Thursday at a St. Louis hospital.
The 84-year-old practiced law for more than 55 years, starting with criminal cases and later representing plaintiffs in personal-injury lawsuits. He was still working in recent weeks, according to his son, Bruce R. Cook, an attorney who practiced alongside him for 28 years.
In the legal community, they’re known simply as “Bruce N.” and “Bruce R.”
“He was a great guy,” said the son, noting that his father loved to joke and laugh, prompting one newspaper to describe him as a “court jester.” “He almost made it to 85, and he had a heck of a run.”
Cook’s influence can be illustrated by one of his son’s memories from childhood. He answered the phone in the family’s West Belleville home during the presidential primary season of 1980 and heard the voice of President Jimmy Carter, asking to speak to his father.
Months later, Cook was one of several political leaders who accompanied Carter on campaign visits to Granite City and East St. Louis, the day before the general election that ended his presidency.
At the time, Cook was a Democratic State Central Committeeman in Illinois. He also served as a Democratic National Committeeman.
“He loved local politics, and he was proud to be a Democrat,” his son said. “But he was also a great dad. He was very involved in all of our lives. He always had time to help (his three children).”
Cook dealt with congestive heart failure for about 10 years and finally succumbed to it on Thursday, but not before having a wonderful holiday season with his family, his son said.
Also surviving are Sandra Cook, his wife of 59 years; son Michael Cook, a former St. Clair County Circuit Court judge; and eight grandchildren. The couple’s daughter, Susannah Marison, died in 2010.
Swansea attorney Tom Keefe, who practiced law with Cook for more than 10 years, will deliver the eulogy at his funeral. Keefe left Cook’s firm in 1992 and established his own, but the two remained close friends.
Keefe called Cook an “old-school” trial attorney who wasn’t afraid to go before a jury to fight for clients and couldn’t understand why many others in the profession preferred settling out of court.
“His reputation as a lawyer was unsurpassed,” Keefe said. “He tried cases. He loved to lawyer. He used to say that practicing law was the most fun he ever had with his clothes on, and that was when he was a young man. As he got older, I think he would say it was the most fun he ever had, period.
“For Bruce, the practice of law was more than a vocation. It was an avocation in many respects. It’s who he was.”
Cook was born in Kansas, grew up in East St. Louis, served four years in the U.S. Navy aboard an aircraft carrier and attended college at the Southern Illinois University campus in East St. Louis, according to his obituary.
Cook then graduated from University of Illinois College of Law, where he delivered the valedictory address as student body president. He founded his own Belleville law firm in 1969 and worked with several partners over the years.
Cook was past president of the St. Clair County Bar Association and East St. Louis Bar Association. The National Law Journal once named him one of the Top 10 trial lawyers in Illinois.
“He loved being a lawyer, and (he) was proud that most of his clients became his friends and stayed in touch, long after their cases had been resolved,” his obituary states. “Bruce was active in the community, particularly with Dorothy O. Cook Community Law Center.”
The law center, named after his late mother, still houses the East St. Louis branch of Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, which provides free legal assistance with civil cases to low-income and older people.
Cook also was proud of his “honorary gold card” with Laborers’ Local 100 in East St. Louis and his work with union members throughout southern Illinois over the years, his son said.
“Outside of work, he enjoyed a variety of hobbies including reading, aviation (stunt pilot), snow skiing, bicycling, fishing, playing with his dogs and sharing food and wine with friends and family,” his obituary states.
“In his later years, he derived the most pleasure from the time he spent with his eight grandchildren.”
Bruce N. Cook’s arrangements will include a visitation from 2-5 p.m. Sunday and funeral service at 11 a.m. Monday with the Rev. Clyde Grogan officiating. Both will be held at Kurrus Funeral Home in Belleville.
A private family interment will take place at Green Mount Protestant Cemetery. People can make memorial donations to Land of Lincoln Legal Aid or express condolences at www.kurrusfh.com.
