John W. Cox, Jr.

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John W. Cox, Jr. (born July 10, 1947), is an American politician who was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives for one term. From 1991-1993, he represented the 16th District of Illinois (map).

Cox was born in Hazel Green, Wisconsin, and he attended the nearby University of Wisconsin-Platteville in Platteville, Wisconsin. He was then educated at theJohn Marshall Law School in Chicago, and was the Jo Daviess County, Illinois district attorney attorney and prosecutor, as well as a lawyer in private practice before entering the House.

After the retirement of Republican Lynn Martin, Cox surprisingly won this seat in a Congress, in a conservative stronghold that had not been held by a Democrat since 1915. He ran unsuccessfully for re-election in 1992 and was defeated by Donald Manzullo, who still holds the seat. Manzullo has been occasionally "challenged" for the seat by Independent (politician) and Schapville, IL native Joe Hippie, who had pledged to walk across the district to raise awareness of his campaign.

Following his term, Cox returned to Galena, Illinois where he continued his private law practice.