Tim Cook, Canadian War Museum chief historian, dies at 54

Tim Cook, the Canadian War Museum's chief historian, has died, the museum announced on Sunday. Photo by Wayne Cuddington /Ottawa Citizen

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Tim Cook, the Canadian War Museum’s chief historian, has died, the museum announced on Sunday.

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Lauded as one of the most influential historians in Canada, Cook was a “passionate ambassador” for both the War Museum and Canadian military history.

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He was 54 years old.

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Caroline Dromaguet, the museum’s CEO and president, said Cook played an instrumental role in shaping the museum, and his contributions over the past 23 years have been enormous.

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His most popular exhibitions include “For Crown and Country”, which is a permanent exhibit in Gallery 2 at the museum.

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He also curated several major exhibitions — including “Victory 1918 — The Last 100 Days,” “Communities at War,” and “War and Medicine” — and was a champion for an oral history project collecting interviews from veterans and their loved ones called “In Their Own Voices.”

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A file photo of Tim Cook, director of research and chief historian at the Canadian War Museum. Cook died at the age of 54. Photo by Handout

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Cook also published 19 books, dozens of scholarly articles and won several awards, the museum said. Those awards include the Ottawa Book Award for Literary Non-Fiction, the J. W. Dafoe Book Prize, the C. P. Stacey Award and the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction. His book The Good Allieswas also shortlisted for the 2025 Lionel Gelber Prize as one of the best non-fiction works on foreign policy.

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Cook also received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation and the Governor General’s History Award. He was a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a member of the Order of Canada.

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“Tim Cook was a passionate ambassador both for the museum and for Canadian military history. He has forever left his own mark on history,” Dromaguet wrote in her statement.

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“Our sincerest condolences go to his family, friends, colleagues, and many admirers. A more formal opportunity to celebrate Tim Cook’s contributions will be shared through museum channels soon.”

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Historian Dr. Tim Cook with the Vimy Ridge wooden relief map used by Canadian commanders preparing for battle at the Canadian War Museum. Photo by Wayne Cuddington /Postmedia

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The museum did not disclose the cause of death, but Cook has been open about his battle against Hodgkin’s Disease for years.

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He underwent seven days of intense chemotherapy the week before Christmas that year to suppress his immune system and received the stem cells shortly after.

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“I’m a young guy and it sucks, but that’s the way it is and you move forward…. It’s a donor’s stem cells, so there’s some very generous person out there who donated their stem cells to perhaps save my life,” he said at the time.

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“I don’t get to get that person’s name for two years, but in two years I’ll be writing a heartfelt letter to someone out there in the world to say thanks.”

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— With files from Blair Crawford

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