Channing Harris Cox (October 28, 1879August 20, 1968) was an American
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
politician, lawyer, and businessman from
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
. He served as the
49th Governor of Massachusetts
The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces.
Massachuset ...
, from 1921 to 1925. He attended
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...
and served as lieutenant governor to
Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a Republican lawyer from New England who climbed up the ladder of Ma ...
, winning election as governor after Coolidge decided to run for
vice president
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
. Cox was noted for advancing progressive labor legislation and adjusting administrative law to Massachusetts' changing economy. He was also the first Massachusetts governor to use radio, when he broadcast live from the
Eastern States Exposition
The Big E, formally known as The Eastern States Exposition, and billed as "New England's Great State fair", is the largest agricultural event on the eastern seaboard and the fifth-largest fair in the nation. The Big E is inclusive of all six o ...
on September 19, 1921, at the debut of station
WBZ in
Springfield.
Early years
Channing Cox was born in
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644.
Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Ha ...
, to Charles Edson Cox and Evelyn Mary (Randall) Cox. He was one of four brothers, one being
Louis Cox
Louis S. Cox (November 22, 1874 – May 12, 1961) was a justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from November 10, 1937, to January 12, 1944. He was appointed by Governor Charles F. Hurley.
Born in Manchester, New Hampshire, Cox was ...
, who became a Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. He attended the Manchester public schools and then
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...
, from which he graduated in 1901. He then attended
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.
Each c ...
, receiving his degree there in 1904.
Cox remained a lifelong supporter of Dartmouth, where a residence hall is named in his honor.
Cox then opened a law practice in
Boston, Massachusetts, which he maintained until he was elected governor.
[
]
Political career
Cox entered politics soon after opening his practice, winning his first race for elective office in 1908, for a seat on the Boston Common Council. The following year he won election to the state legislature, where he served nine annual terms, the last four as Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
This is a list of speakers of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. The Speaker of the House presides over the House of Representatives. The Speaker is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the full House through ...
. During these years he became politically associated with Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a Republican lawyer from New England who climbed up the ladder of Ma ...
, who was Senate President and Lieutenant Governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
. Coolidge tapped Cox as his running mate for governor in 1918, and Cox served two one-year terms as lieutenant governor. Coolidge stepped back to run for Vice President of the United States
The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice p ...
in 1920
Events January
* January 1
** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20.
** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
.[
Cox ran for governor in 1920, which was the first two-year term for the office. His victory over ]John Jackson Walsh
John Jackson Walsh (born John Joseph Walsh) was an American politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts Senate and was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Massachusetts in 1920.
Early life
Walsh was born on March 31, 1871, in Dubli ...
was part of a broad national win for the Republicans, including a sweep of statewide offices in Massachusetts, which was spurred by nativist opposition to Wilson
Wilson may refer to:
People
*Wilson (name)
** List of people with given name Wilson
** List of people with surname Wilson
* Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender
* Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson R ...
administration policies on immigration. Cox contributed to the anti-immigrant sentiment
Opposition to immigration, also known as anti-immigration, has become a significant political ideology in many countries. In the modern sense, immigration refers to the entry of people from one state or territory into another state or territory ...
in Massachusetts by characterizing discontented immigrants as a "motley array of questionable groups and influences". He won reelection in 1922, in another race against disorganized Democratic opposition. Although the state was in an economic downturn (an early whisper of the Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
), with textile production dropping and wages down, his campaigns emphasized "economy and sound administration" in governance, terms which characterized Republican campaigns through the 1920s. In 1922, Cox defeated former Mayor of Boston
The mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston has a mayor–council government. Boston's mayoral elections are nonpartisan (as are all municipal elections in Boston), and elect a mayor to a four ...
John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald
John Francis "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald (February 11, 1863 – October 2, 1950) was an American Democratic politician from Boston, Massachusetts. He served as a U.S. Representative and Mayor of Boston. He also made unsuccessful runs for the United ...
by more than 60,000 votes.
As governor, Cox was somewhat more progressive than Coolidge, advancing a variety of modest reforms. He increased schooling requirements and reduced working hours for children, allowed labor unions to instigate lawsuits against employers, and improved workmen's compensation coverage. He signed legislation restricting the ability of state banks to engage in speculative investments, and instituted a commission on finance and reform to oversee the state's finances.[Harman, p. 207] In the 1922 race, Cox claimed credit for reducing income taxes by $2 million and the state's debt by $12 million. Substantive reforms were typically buried by the legislature, which studied reform proposals but generally did not act on them. Cox opted not to run for reelection in 1924, supporting Lieutenant Governor Alvan T. Fuller
Alvan Tufts Fuller (February 27, 1878 – April 30, 1958) was an American businessman, politician, art collector, and philanthropist from Massachusetts. He opened one of the first automobile dealerships in Massachusetts, which in 1920 was recogniz ...
as his successor.
Later years and family
After leaving office, Cox was encouraged to run for the United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and po ...
, for the seat opened by the death of Henry Cabot Lodge
Henry Cabot Lodge (May 12, 1850 November 9, 1924) was an American Republican politician, historian, and statesman from Massachusetts. He served in the United States Senate from 1893 to 1924 and is best known for his positions on foreign polic ...
. He refused, and spent the rest of his active years involved in business and philanthropic pursuits. He served on the boards of numerous local corporations, banks, and non-profits,[ and was an active member of the state humane society.][Harman, p. 208] He died in 1968 at his summer home in West Harwich, Massachusetts
West Harwich is a village in the town of Harwich, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, United States. West Harwich makes most of the population in the Northwest Harwich Census-designated place.
Geography and demographics
West Harwich is in the Northwest ...
, and was buried in Boston's Forest Hills Cemetery
Forest Hills Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery, greenspace, arboretum and sculpture garden located in the Forest Hills section of the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery was established in 1848 as a publ ...
.[
Cox had married Mary Young of Wellfleet in 1915; they had one child.][
In 1922 Cox became a compatriot of the Massachusetts Society of the ]Sons of the American Revolution
The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR or NSSAR) is an American congressionally chartered organization, founded in 1889 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. A non-profit corporation, it has described its purpose ...
.
See also
* 1915 Massachusetts legislature
The 136th Massachusetts General Court, consisting of the Massachusetts Senate and the Massachusetts House of Representatives, met in 1915 during the Governor of Massachusetts, governorship of David I. Walsh. Calvin Coolidge served as President of ...
* 1917 Massachusetts legislature
The 138th Massachusetts General Court, consisting of the Massachusetts Senate and the Massachusetts House of Representatives, met in 1917.
Senators
Representatives
See also
* 1917 Massachusetts gubernatorial election
* 65th United States Cong ...
* 1918 Massachusetts legislature
The 139th Massachusetts General Court, consisting of the Massachusetts Senate and the Massachusetts House of Representatives, met in 1918 during the Governor of Massachusetts, governorship of Samuel W. McCall. Henry Gordon Wells served as Preside ...
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Channing H.
1879 births
1968 deaths
Politicians from Manchester, New Hampshire
Lawyers from Boston
Dartmouth College alumni
Governors of Massachusetts
Harvard Law School alumni
Lieutenant Governors of Massachusetts
Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
New Hampshire Republicans
Republican Party governors of Massachusetts
Speakers of the Massachusetts House of Representatives