Preston Cook

Preston Cook
Cook at the National Eagle Center in 2021
Born1946 (age 79–80)
EducationKendall College
Lone Mountain College
Occupationreal estate developer
OrganizationNational Eagle Center
Known forNational Bird Initiative; American Eagle Collection
SpouseDonna Cook (m. 1986 – present)

Preston Cook (born 1946) is an American collector and commercial real estate investor. He created the Preston Cook National Eagle Collection comprising more than 40,000 objects featuring eagle imagery. Cook is credited with helping designate the bald eagle as the official national bird of the United States through the National Bird Initiative. Cook has published three books on the eagle.

Early life and education

Cook was raised in Evanston, Illinois, and graduated from high school in 1964. He attended Kendall College and Lone Mountain College in San Francisco.

Career and collection

Cook worked for many years as a commercial real estate developer in the San Francisco Bay Area. He began collecting eagle-related objects in the 1968. His collection grew to more than 40,000 items, including everyday objects, historical artifacts, memorabilia, and fine art. The collection, formally titled the Preston Cook National Eagle Collection, was later donated to the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota.

National Bird Initiative

While researching his book American Eagle: A Visual History of Our National Emblem, Cook discovered that the bald eagle, despite its longstanding symbolic role, had never been officially designated as the national bird. In coordination with Jack E. Davis, author of The Bald Eagle: The Improbable Journey of America's Bird, and The National Eagle Center, Cook started the National Bird Initiative to create federal legislation on the matter. Cook drafted a bill to designate the bald eagle as the national bird. The bill was introduced by Amy Klobuchar and Cynthia Lummis in the U.S. Senate and Brad Finstad in the U.S. House of Representatives. It passed both houses of Congress and was signed into law by President Joe Biden in December 2024.

Personal life

In 1986, Cook married Donna Cook who had five children from a previous marriage. He lives in Wabasha, Minnesota.

Bibliography

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Davis, Jack E. "The Bald Eagle Is Finally, Officially Our National Bird—Thanks to This Man". Audubon Magazine (Winter 2024). Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Grossman, Mary Ann (June 29, 2019). "He has a real eagle eye — Wabasha man's collection is the largest in the country". Twin Cities Pioneer Press.
  3. ↑ Brown, Tony (June 16, 2017). "San Francisco real estate mogul lands in Wabasha with colossal eagle art collection". Star Tribune. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  4. ↑ "National Bird Initiative – National Eagle Center". National Eagle Center. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  5. 1 2 Paul, Maria Luisa (December 26, 2024). "The Bald Eagle became the national bird thanks to this one man". The Washington Post. The Ann Arbor News. p. D2. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  6. ↑ Molseed, John (January 1, 2025). "The Eagle Has Landed as the National Bird". Post Bulletin. Rochester, Minnesota. p. A1.
  7. ↑ Klobuchar, Amy (December 23, 2024). "Text - S.4610 - 118th Congress (2023-2024): A bill to amend title 36, United States Code, to designate the bald eagle as the national bird". Congress.gov. Library of Congress. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  8. ↑ Gunderson, Dan (November 18, 2024). "In Wabasha, a collector puts his passion for all things eagles on full display". MPR News. Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved January 18, 2026.