"(May 11, 1819 -- August 18, 1894) Burton Chauncey Cook was a lawyer and American politician. Cook was born in Pittsford, Monroe County, New York and then moved to Ottawa, Illinois in 1835. Cook studied law and commenced the practice of law in 1840. In 1846 he was the Illinois State Attorney for the 9th Judicial Court for 6 years from 1846 to 1852. He was a member of the State Senate (1852-1860). He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1860 and 1864. He was also a member of the Peace Convention of 1861, in Washington D.C., in an effort to prevent the upcoming war. He was elected as a Republican for the 39th, 40th, 41st, and 42nd Congresses from March 4, 1865 to August 26, 1871, when he resigned. During his time in congress he served as the chairman on Roads and Canals (40th Congress) and on the Committee on District of Columbia (41st congress). [Source: 'Biographical Directory of the United States Congress 1774 - Present', available at https://bioguideretro.congress.gov/Home/MemberDetails?memIndex=C000715]"