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Sir James Wilfred Cook FRS FRSE
Born	(1900-12-10)10 December 1900 South Kensington, London
Died	21 October 1975(1975-10-21) (aged 74) Budleigh Salterton, Devon
Alma mater	University College, London (BSc) University of London (MSc, PhD, DSc)
Known for	Cancer research and career in university administration
Board member of	Association of Commonwealth Universities National Council for Technological Awards Council for National Academic Awards
Spouse(s)	Elsie Winifred Griffith ​ ​ (m. 1930; died 1966)​ Vera Elizabeth Ford ​ (m. 1967)​
Awards	Knight Bachelor (1963) Davy Medal (1954) Officer of the Order of Leopold (Belgium) (1937)
Scientific career
Fields	Chemistry
Institutions	Sir John Cass Technical Institute Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (Chemical Research Laboratory) The Institute of Cancer Research University of Glasgow University of Exeter
Vice-chancellor of University of East Africa
In office 1966–1970
Preceded by	Sir Bernard de Bunsen
Succeeded by	post abolished
Vice-chancellor of University of Exeter a
In office 1955–1965
Preceded by	post established
Succeeded by	Sir John Llewellyn
Principal of University College of the South West of England a
In office 1954–1955
Preceded by	Sir Thomas Taylor
Succeeded by	post abolished
President of Royal Institute of Chemistry
In office 1949–1951
Notes
a University College of the South West of England received royal charter to become University of Exeter in 1955.

Sir James Wilfred Cook FRS FRSE DSc LLD (1900–1975) was an English chemist, best known for his research of organic chemistry of carcinogenic compounds.^[1] Friends knew him simply as Jim Cook.

He was born in South Kensington in London on 10 December 1900, the son of Charles William Cook, a coachman, and his wife, Frances Wall. Using a London County Council^[2] scholarship he attended Sloane School in Chelsea, London.^[3]

Cook studied Chemistry at University College, London under Frederick G. Donnan and Norman Collie. In 1920 he began lecturing at the Sir John Cass Technical Institute (now part of London Metropolitan University). At the same time, Cook registered as a graduate student at the University of London, going on to obtain an MSc (1921), a PhD (1923), and a DSc (1925)^[4]. Cook's PhD thesis was on the Anthracene derivative.^[5] He lectured at Sir John Cass Technical Institute until 1928.^[3]

After leaving his lectureship, Cook briefly worked at the Chemical Research Laboratory in the civil service (Department of Scientific and Industrial Research). In 1929, Ernest Kennaway invited Cook to the Royal Cancer Hospital where he remained until 1939. Research done at the hospital suggested that tar (as found in most cigarettes) contained carcinogenic components of a similar structure to anthracene. Cook gathered pure samples of many polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, such as 1,2,5,6-dibenzoantracene, benzofenantrene 3.4-and 3.4-benzopyrene, and was therefore able to demonstrate for the first time that even a purely chemical compound had carcinogenic properties.^[4]

In 1939 he moved to Glasgow University as Regius Professor of Chemistry and Director of their chemical laboratories. He remained interested in carcinogenic compounds, but his focus now looked at compounds of natural origin. Central to his research was the clarification of the structure of Alkaloid Colchicine: a compound that has anti-cancer properties, but is also highly toxic. Searching for parallel but less toxic compounds, similar to colchicine, he synthesized and studied many artificially created compounds.

In 1954 Cook was appointed head of the University College of the South West of England, which in 1955 was renamed the University of Exeter, with Cook then as Vice Chancellor. He continued to collaborate on research on polycyclic aromatic compounds with carcinogenic properties, isolated from crude oil and tobacco smoke.

In 1965 he retired from the University of Exeter. Shortly afterwards his wife died, and Cook then decided to move to East Africa. In 1966 he became Vice Chancellor of the University of East Africa, which included colleges located in Kampala, Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. In 1970 the University of East Africa split to create three independent universities: Makerere University in Kampala (Uganda), the University of Nairobi (Kenya) and the University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania).^[6]

Throughout his career, the scientific production of Cook includes about 240 articles in specialized journals.

Among the various honours, in 1954 Cook won the highly prestigious Davy Medal of the Royal Society of London^[4]. Cook was knighted by Queen Elizabeth as part of the 1963 New Year Honours for his "services to Organic Chemistry"^[7].

Cook's international recognition includes co-winning an award from the Union for International Cancer Control^[8] with Ernest Kennaway in 1936, and being made an Officer of the Order of Leopold (Belgium) in 1937^[4].

Cook received multiple honorary doctorates:

• Dublin – DSc (1948)
• Nigeria – DSc (1961)
• Exeter – LLD (1967)^[9]
• Ulster – DSc (1970)

• President of the Royal Institute of Chemistry 1949-51
• University Grants Committee 1950-54
• Committee on the Cost of the National Health Service 1956-59
• Advisory Committee on Pesticides and Other Toxic Chemicals 1962-66^[5]

He married twice. Firstly, in 1930 he married Elsie Winifred Griffith, with whom he had three children. Following her death in 1966 he remarried the following year to Vera Elizabeth Ford, a biology teacher.^[3]

In 1970 he returned to England, living in Budleigh Salterton, Devon. He died suddenly on 21 October 1975.^[3]