Charles R. Cookson ’57

Charlie died May 19, 2023, of prostate cancer. He was a diplomat, international entrepreneur, and educator.

He came to Princeton from the Darlington School in Rome, Ga. Holder of a University scholarship, Charlie became head waiter at Commons, majored in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and joined Dial Lodge. He also served on the business board of the Triangle Club. As a son of an Army officer, he had been born at Fort Sill, Okla., and spent time there again as an Army ROTC member. Following college, he served in Army artillery units, attaining the rank of first lieutenant.

Charlie joined the State Department, which led him to a post in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There he married a Brazilian woman, Nubia Pereira Rezende, and they had three children, Ricardo, Charles II, and Marcela. Continuing to live in Brazil after leaving the State Department, he started his own export-import business. After Nubia died, he returned to the U.S. and obtained a master’s degree in public policy from William & Mary College, while operating a consulting business engaged with Development in Democracy Inc. He married Patricia Cox.

He and Pat retired from Virginia to Okatie, S.C., where he became active in tutoring young children and socializing with his neighbors, many of whom he met while walking his dog or playing bridge. He is survived by Pat, Charles II, Marcela, Ricardo ’87, and their families.