David O. Cooke

David O. "Doc" Cooke (August 31, 1920 – June 22, 2002) was a United States Department of Defense civilian administrator who served under twelve Secretaries of Defense over a period of 45 years. Often called the "Mayor of the Pentagon", Cooke was the department's highest-ranking career civil servant as Director of Administration and Management, and as Director of Washington Headquarters Services. He was also responsible for administering the oath of office for many key department officials. Cooke was born in Buffalo, New York in 1920. He graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1941, and earned his masters degree from the State University of New York at Albany in 1942. He served in the United States Navy during World...