Cedric Cox (January 27, 1913 – May 10, 1993) was a technician and political figure in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. He represented

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...

in the

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is the deliberative assembly of the Parliament of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The Legislative Assembly meets in Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria. Members ar ...

from 1957 to 1963 as a

Co-operative Commonwealth Federation The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF; french: Fédération du Commonwealth Coopératif, FCC); from 1955 the Social Democratic Party of Canada (''french: Parti social démocratique du Canada''), was a federal democratic socialism, democra ...

member. He was born in

Rossland, British Columbia Rossland is in the West Kootenay region of south central British Columbia. High in the Monashee Mountains, the city lies immediately east of the intersections of BC highways British Columbia Highway 3B, 3B and British Columbia Highway 22, 22. The f ...

. Cox worked as an industrial pattern maker in

Trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. Th ...

and later worked for Heaps Engineering in

. He served in the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Cox married Eileen, the daughter of

Ernest Winch Ernest Edward Winch (March 22, 1879 – January 11, 1957) was a British Columbia politician, trade unionist and socialist. He was a British Columbia NDP, BC Co-operative Commonwealth Federation MLA in the British Columbia Legislative Assembly ...

. He was first elected to the assembly in a 1957 by-election held following his father-in-law's death and was reelected in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

. Cox was defeated when he ran for reelection in

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

. Cox became the Chairman of the Vancouver

Fair Play for Cuba Committee The Fair Play for Cuba Committee (FPCC) was an activist group set up in New York City by Robert Taber in April 1960. History The FPCC's purpose was to provide grassroots support for the Cuban Revolution against attacks by the United States govern ...

in 1962 along with Phil Courneyeur who was elected Secretary. Cox was criticized for accepting a trip to

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

in January 1963, shortly after the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...

, paid for by

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...

's government. Upon his return from Cuba Cox addressed a joint meeting of the Burnaby Constituency CCF-NDP and the Oil, Atomic and Chemical Workers Union where he answered critics of his trip and affirmed he would return to the Caribbean Island country if invited. The speech is available in print at http://www.socialisthistory.ca/Docs/1961-/Cuba/FourCanadians.htm With Dick Fidler, John Glenn and Charles Biesick, he contributed to ''Four Canadians Who Saw Cuba'', which was published by the Fair Play for Cuba Committee in 1963.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Cedric 1913 births 1993 deaths British Columbia Co-operative Commonwealth Federation MLAs 20th-century Canadian legislators