# Joseph Cook

_6th prime minister of Australia from 1913 to 1914_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/joseph-cook
Last updated: 2026-11-10

> Sir Joseph Cook was the sixth prime minister of Australia, serving from 1913 to 1914. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party, having previously been leader of the Anti-Socialist Party from 1908 to 1909. His victory at the 1913 election marked the first time that a centre-right party had won a majority at an Australian federal election.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 7 December 1860 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q356230#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Silverdale ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q356230#P19))
- **Died:** 30 July 1947 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q356230#P570))
- **Place of death:** Bellevue Hill ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q356230#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Australia ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q356230#P27))
- **Occupation:** politician; diplomat; trade unionist ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q356230#P106))
- **Political party:** Free Trade Party (since 1894); Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch) (1891–1894) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q356230#P102))
- **Spouse:** Dame Mary Cook ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q356230#P26))
- **Positions held:** Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (11 November 1921 – 10 May 1927); Treasurer of Australia (28 July 1920 – 21 December 1921); Member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom (since 16 July 1914); Prime Minister of Australia (24 June 1913 – 17 September 1914); Minister for Defence (2 June 1909 – 29 April 1910); member of the Australian House of Representatives (30 March 1901 – 10 December 1921); Minister for Mines (27 August 1898 – 13 September 1899); Postmaster-General of New South Wales (3 August 1894 – 27 August 1898); Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (3 July 1891 – 11 June 1901) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q356230#P39))
- **Awards:** Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q356230#P166))

## Questions

**When was Joseph Cook born?**  
Joseph Cook was born on 7 December 1860 in Silverdale.

**What positions has Joseph Cook held?**  
Positions held by Joseph Cook include: Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (1921–1927); Treasurer of Australia (1920–1921); Member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom (since 16 July 1914); Prime Minister of Australia (1913–1914); Minister for Defence (1909–1910).

## Related

- [George Reid](https://diginpl.com/people/george-reid)
- [Andrew Fisher](https://diginpl.com/people/andrew-fisher)
- [Gough Whitlam](https://diginpl.com/people/gough-whitlam)
- [Chris Watson](https://diginpl.com/people/chris-watson)
- [James Scullin](https://diginpl.com/people/james-scullin)
- [Stanley Bruce](https://diginpl.com/people/stanley-bruce)
- [Arthur Fadden](https://diginpl.com/people/arthur-fadden)
- [Ben Chifley](https://diginpl.com/people/ben-chifley)
- [Swraj Paul, Baron Paul](https://diginpl.com/people/swraj-paul-baron-paul)
- [John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh](https://diginpl.com/people/john-william-strutt-3rd-baron-rayleigh)
- [George Bowen](https://diginpl.com/people/george-bowen)
- [Edward VII](https://diginpl.com/people/edward-vii)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Joseph Cook](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Cook) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): जोसेफ कुक](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%AB_%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%95) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q356230](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q356230) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Sir Joseph Cook (cropped).jpg by Norman Victor Herfort (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sir_Joseph_Cook_(cropped).jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Joseph Cook, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Sir Joseph Cook (cropped).jpg — Norman Victor Herfort, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Joseph Cook". DigiNepal. Last updated 10 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/joseph-cook. Retrieved 10 November 2026.