WALTER A. COOK
From Norwich, NY to Frankfort, NY
Contributed by BetteJo Hall-Caldwell
Walter A. Cook
Herkimer Citizen, Tuesday, July 25,1905
Manager of the Acme Road Machinery Company
Something About One of Frankfort's Busy Men - Who Will Represent the Town in Our County Legislature.
Frankfort is proud of all her industries and of none more so than the Acme Road
Machinery Company. Although it has been located at Frankfort but five years,
under the very able management of supervisor W. A. Cook, it has grown until at
the present time it is one of the most prosperous industries in the valley.
The Acme Road Machinery Company was incorporated in January 1900 with a capital
of $100,000. $80,000 of which has been subscribed and paid and $20,000 in the
treasury, which has not yet been offered for sale.

The officers of the company when it was incorporated were: President, Philander
Pollock of New York; Vice President, Julian Schall of New York; Secretary and
treasurer, Jas. W. Jones of Frankfort. These gentlemen, with Elliott Danforth of
New York, Alonzo Schaupp of Albany and T.G. Ingersoll of Vernon, N.Y., composed
the board of directors. Since that time M. Danforth and Mr. Schall have retired
from the board and have been succeeded by James Dempsey and David Cook of
Frankfort. Mr. Schaupp was elected vice president to succeed Mr. Schall.
Work began in April 1900 and since then the shop has not been closed except for
holidays and less than a week each year for inventory. About 100 men are
employed. The company manufactures all kinds of road machinery, such as stone
crushers, scrapers, dump wagons, street sprinklers, and in fact all kinds of
contractors' supplies. The territory to which it sells is unlimited, machines
having been shipped to all parts of the globe. Only lately one contract was made
by which the government was to use several of the machines during the
construction of the Panama canal.
Such is a very short sketch of the short life of the Acme Road Machinery Company.
That it has been a successful enterprise is due very largely to the efforts of
Walter A. Cook, who since 1900 has made his home in this village.
Mr. Cook was born in Norwich, Chenango county, August 25, 1861. His grandfather
and father had both lived before him in Norwich, his grandfather being one of the
pioneer settlers of that village. Both his father and grandfather were lawyers.
Mr. Cook's mother came from Hennicker, N.H. Her maiden name was Adeline S. Eastman
and she was a graduate of Mrs. Millard's Seminary at Troy. Before her marriage
she was preceptress of the Utica Free Academy and Clinton Liberal Institute and
finally at Norwich where she was married.
Walter A. Cook, Jr., for he bore the same name as his father, was educated at
Norwich, graduating from the high school in that village. Immediately upon
receiving his diploma he began to teach school at Gilford and then at Smithville.
This profession he engaged in for three years, at the end of which time he became
engaged in the lumber business in Norwich. He continued in the business for two
years. After this he entered the employ of the Wm. Lake Co., at Albany, as head of
the sales department. He soon left this position to take up a similar one with
the Climax Road Machinery Co., of Marathon, N.Y. His work still kept him at
Albany until 1896, when he was called to take charge of the management at
Marathon. Here he continued until 1900 when he became interested in the Acme Road Machinery Co.
Mr. Cook was married in 1893 to Alice M. Lewis of Bridgewater. They have no
children. Although he has lived in this village but five years, he has gained the
confidence and trust of every person in the community. His popularity was shown
last fall, when very much against his wish, he was urged to run for supervisor on
the democratic ticket. Although the town gave Roosevelt 290 majority, it gave Mr.
Cook the splendid majority of 186. The Citizen presents its compliments to Mr.
and Mrs. Cook and joins with their many friends in wishing them long years of success and happiness.
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