1900 to 1909

29 Mar 1901: 1st elected to Federal Parliament

Cook was elected as Member of Parliament for the seat of Parramatta (NSW) in the 1st federal election.

1910 to 1919

24 Jun 1913: 6th Prime Minister

Cook was sworn in as prime minister after his Commonwealth Liberal Party gained a 1-seat majority in the 5th federal election.

4 Oct 1913: Royal Australian Navy

Huge crowds lined Sydney Harbour for the arrival of Australia's new naval fleet, the battlecruiser HMAS Australia, 3 cruisers and 3 destroyers. The Royal Australian Navy had been established on 19 July 1911. The Naval College had temporary quarters in Victoria until HMAS Creswell at Jervis Bay was opened on 10 February 1915.

30 Mar 1914: Norfolk Island

The island, governed as part of New South Wales since 1788, was proclaimed a Commonwealth territory, 13 years after Federation.

18 May 1914: 6th Governor-General

Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson was Governor-General to 6 October 1920.

4 Aug 1914: Australia at war

Britain declared war on Germany and so the British dominions, including Australia, were also at war. Recruitment began a week later. On 1 November, the 1st Division of the Australian Imperial Force left Australia, arriving at training camps in Egypt on 5 December.

15 Aug 1914: Panama Canal

The 64km channel between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans was officially opened. The Panama Canal saved ships making the 11,300km voyage around Cape Horn. It had taken 10 years to build across the isthmus between North and South America.

5 Sep 1914: 6th federal election

Cook's Commonwealth Liberal Party government was defeated by the Labor Party under Andrew Fisher.

13 Sep 1914: Capture of New Guinea

An Australian force occupied Rabaul and, on 17 September, the German governor surrendered New Guinea. The area remained under Australian military control until 1921.

17 Sep 1914: Lost office

After his party's electoral defeat, Cook lost office on 17 September. Labor leader Andrew Fisher was sworn in as prime minister. Cook was Leader of the Opposition for 3 years, until Prime Minister William Hughes' defection from the Labor Party in 1917 reshaped the Parliament.

1920 to 1929

11 Nov 1921: Left Parliament

Cook resigned from parliament in 1921 to become Australia's High Commissioner in London and was an Australian delegate to the League of Nations in the 1920s.

1940 to 1947

30 Jul 1947: Death

Cook died at his Sydney home on 30 July 1947. William Hughes was a pallbearer at his state funeral.