William Cocker

William Henry Cocker (9 December 1836 – 14 April 1911) was the first mayor of Blackpool, Lancashire, England, serving, in his initial term, from 1876 to 1879. He served again from 1884 to 1885 and from 1886 to 1887. He was selected as the first Freeman of the Borough in 1897. Cocker was noted for taking Blackpool from a "small coastal village into a major tourist destination," and has been called a founding father of Victorian Blackpool.

Early life Cocker was born in 1836 to John Cocker and Jane Banks, daughter of Henry Banks, in a house his father had built in Hygiene Terrace on Blackpool Promenade. His father had moved to Blackpool from Tockholes, near Darwen in east Lancashire, in 1828. William was educated at Preston Grammar School.

Cocker became a close friend of John Bickerstaffe, who went on to become another important figure in Blackpool's development.

In 1858, he married Betsey Pilling, a native of Rochdale. he had opened a menagerie and aquarium in Blackpool's Prince of Wales Arcade, which later became the site of Blackpool Tower. The aquarium was incorporated into the tower building.

Death

Cocker died in 1911, It was built in 1926 to honour his contributions to the town. John Bickerstaffe unveiled the clock.

Blackpool's Cocker Street is also named for him.