William Bridge Cooke
American mycologist
William Bridge Cooke (July 16, 1908 – December 30, 1991) was an American mycologist. He specialized in fungal ecology and taxonomy, with on emphasis on the Polyporaceae. He was the author of at least 192 publications and five books. Cooke also published many fungal taxa: 3 subfamilies, 10 genera, 1 section, 144 new species, 4 subspecies and varieties, and 141 new combinations. Cooke received a Bachelor's degree in botany from the University of Cincinnati in 1932, and a Master of Science in 1939 at Oregon State University. After serving in the army during World War II, Cooke obtained a Ph.D. in 1950 from the Washington State University under the supervision of Rexford F. Daubenmire. With Charles Gardner Shaw he edited the exsiccata Reliquiae Suksdorfiana. Fungi collected by Wilhelm N. Suksdorf 1882-1927.
Cooke died in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the age of 83.
Several taxa have been named in Cooke's honor: the fungi Bricookea M.E.Barr, Bridgeoporus T.J.Volk, Burds.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “William Bridge Cooke” is american mycologist. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through William, Bridge and Cooke, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “american mycologist” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 28, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q20989023. VIAF identifies the subject as 64533984. The Library of Congress control number is n78096073. 2 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1908, 1991, 1932 and 1939.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “William Bridge Cooke”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow William Bridge Cooke primary sources, William Bridge Cooke archive and William research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “William Bridge Cooke”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “William Bridge Cooke” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.