James F. Cook was born in the Panama Canal Zone on December 3, 1940, and grew up in Washington, D.C. He earned his BA from Emory University in 1962, his MA from Georgia State University in 1964, and his PhD from the University of Georgia in 1972. He began teaching history at Floyd College (now Georgia Highlands College) in Rome, Georgia in 1972 and spent his career there.

Cook’s career, beginning with his dissertation, Politics and Education in the Talmadge Era: the Controversy over the University System of Georgia, 1941-42, focused on Georgia politics. He was especially interested in Georgia’s governors, and in 1979 published, The Governors of Georgia. He also authored, Carl Sanders: Spokesman of the New South (1993) and Carl Vinson: Patriarch of the Armed Forces (2004). In addition to his books, Cook has been published in Phylon, The Alabama Review, and The Atlanta Historical Bulletin. He has become a leading authority on Georgia’s governors, and in 2005 released a third edition of The Governors of Georgia, 1754-2004. Cook has also been an advocate of student travel, leading tours to Europe for many years. In 2005 he established a scholarship to encourage study abroad by students. Cook is currently professor emeritus, and he and his wife, Ida Barnett Cook, live in Cedartown, Georgia. They have two children, Sean and Jamie.