Cobalt ion complexes with the Schiff bases, (4-X-2-{[2-(2-pyridine-2-yl-ethylsulfanyl)ethylimino]methyl}phenol (X=methoxy (OMe), phenylazo (N(2)Ph), bromo (Br), nitro (NO(2))),were synthesized and investigated by several techniques using elemental analysis (C, H, N), FTIR, electronic spectra and molar conductivity. The thermal stability of free ligands and related cobalt complexes were studied by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). Cyclic voltammetry indicates that the investigated cobalt complexes, under the experimental conditions, have irreversible redox behavior. The synthesized compounds have antibacterial activity against the four Gram-positive bacteria: Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus anthracis and also against the two Gram-negative bacteria: Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The activity data show that the parent Schiff bases are more potent antibacterials than the cobalt complexes.