| James Middleton Cox | |
|---|---|
| 46th and 48th Governor of Ohio | |
| In office January 13, 1913 – January 11, 1915 |
|
| Lieutenant | W. A. Greenlund |
| Preceded by | Judson Harmon |
| Succeeded by | Frank B. Willis |
| In office January 8, 1917 – January 10, 1921 |
|
| Lieutenant | Earl D. Bloom (1917–19) Clarence J. Brown (1919–21) |
| Preceded by | Frank B. Willis |
| Succeeded by | Harry L. Davis |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 3rd district |
|
| In office March 4, 1909 – January 12, 1913 |
|
| Preceded by | J. Eugene Harding |
| Succeeded by | Warren Gard |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 31, 1870 Jacksonburg, Ohio |
| Died | July 15, 1957 (aged 87) Kettering, Ohio |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Mayme Simpson Harding Cox, Margaretta Parler Blair Cox |
| Children | Four |
| Religion | United Brethren in Christ |
| Signature | |
James Middleton Cox (March 31, 1870 – July 15, 1957) was the 46th and 48th Governor of Ohio, U.S. Representative from Ohio and Democratic candidate for President of the United States in the election of 1920.
Cox was born in the tiny Butler County, Ohio, village of Jacksonburg. Cox practiced a variety of trades throughout his life: high school teacher, reporter, owner and editor of several newspapers, and secretary to Congressman Paul J. Sorg.
Cox represented Ohio in the United States House of Representatives (1909–1913), resigning after winning election as Governor of Ohio (1913–1915, and 1917–1921). A capable and well-liked reformer, he was nominated a candidate for the presidency by the Democratic party while serving as Governor. Cox supported the internationalist policies of Woodrow Wilson and favored U.S. entry into the League of Nations. However, Cox was defeated in the 1920 Presidential Election by a fellow Ohioan and newspaper man, U.S. Senator Warren G. Harding of Marion. The public had grown weary of the turmoil of the Wilson years, and eagerly accepted Harding's call for a "return to normalcy." Cox's running mate was future president, then-Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt. One of the better known analyses of the 1920 election is in author Irving Stone's book about defeated Presidential candidates, They Also Ran. Stone rated Cox as superior in every way over Warren Harding, claiming the former would have made a much better President. Stone argued there was never a stronger case in the history of American presidential elections for the proposition that the better man lost.
Cox recorded for The Nation's Forum several times. The campaign speech featured here [1] accuses the Republicans of failing to acknowledge that President Wilson's successful prosecution of the war had, according to Cox, "saved civilization."
Cox was publisher of the Dayton Daily News in Dayton, Ohio, where the newspaper's editorial meeting room is still referred to as the "Governor's Library." The "James M. Cox Dayton International Airport", more commonly referenced simply as Dayton International Airport, was named for Cox as well.
He built a large newspaper enterprise, Cox Enterprises, including the December 1939 purchase of the Atlanta Georgian and Journal just a week before that city hosted the premiere of Gone with the Wind.[1] This deal included radio station WSB, which joined his previous holdings, WHIO in Dayton and WIOD in Miami, to give him "'air' from the Great Lakes on the north to Latin America on the south."[2]
In 1932, 1936, 1940, and 1944, Cox supported and campaigned for the presidential candidacies of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Cox was appointed by Roosevelt to the U.S. delegation to the failed London Economic Conference in 1933.[3]
Cox died at his home, Trail's End, in Kettering, Ohio, in 1957, and was interred in the Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio.
Cox was married twice. He married Mayme Simpson Harding in 1898.[4] They divorced in 1911.[4] He married Margaretta Parler Blair in 1917 and she survived him.[4] Cox had four children, two sons by Mayme Harding and two daughters by Margaretta Blair.[4] One of his daughters, Anne Cox Chambers, is still a major shareholder in the company; she owned 98% of the company with her sister Barbara Cox Anthony until the latter's death in 2007. The company's headquarters is in Atlanta.
Cox was a member of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ.
Source: Library of Congress
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by J. Eugene Harding |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 3rd congressional district 1909–1913 |
Succeeded by Warren Gard |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Judson Harmon |
Governor of Ohio 1913–1915 |
Succeeded by Frank B. Willis |
| Preceded by Frank B. Willis |
Governor of Ohio 1917–1921 |
Succeeded by Harry L. Davis |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Woodrow Wilson |
Democratic Party presidential candidate 1920 |
Succeeded by John W. Davis |
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