James Olan Cook was born in Farmers Branch, Texas, on April 3, 1923. Growing up in Dallas, he attended Sunset High School before joining the US Army soon after graduation.

Private First Class Cook joined the MFAA Branch of the US Group Control Council (USGCC) in November 1944. He served as a clerk typist at branch headquarters under the administration of then-Major Mason Hammond. Cook conducted general office work, including the important task of maintaining the office’s extensive card catalogue of detailed information on collections of art that had been looted. Organized and efficient, Cook was promoted to chief clerk of the branch within one month, supervising a team of clerks which included Monuments Men Technician Fourth Grade Charles J. DiRaimondo and Private First Class Edward J. Boruch.

Following the German surrender, the work of the Monuments Men entered a new stage. Numerous, significant art repositories were found in salt mines, castles, and the cellars of churches and private homes. To help manage the resulting influx of intelligence reports and correspondence between Monuments Men working in the field, Technician Fifth Grade Cook was assigned temporary duty at the headquarters of Seventh US Army from May to July 1945, where he was promoted to technician fourth grade during his duties.

After returning to the United States, Cook attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

He died in Dallas on June 8, 1991, and was buried at Restland Memorial Park.