cole was elected as a republican to the seventy-ninth and to the three succeeding congresses (january 3, 1945 – january 3, 1953). he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1952 to the eighty-third congress. he then served as administrator for the housing and home finance agency, (now the united states department of housing and urban development) washington, d.c., from march 1953 to january 1959. he was vice president of reynolds aluminum service corp. from 1959 to 1961, and president, reynolds metals development corp. from 1961 to 1967, and director from 1967 to 1970. afterwards, cole practiced law in washington, d.c., from 1967 to 1990.