Sir Geoffrey Sandford Cox (7 April 1910 – 2 April 2008) was a
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
-born newspaper and television journalist. He was a former editor and chief executive of
ITN and a founder of ''
News at Ten''.
Early life
Cox was born in
Palmerston North
Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, the son of Charles William Sandford Cox, a bank manager, and Mary Cox, daughter of
Duncan MacGregor.
He was educated at
Southland Boys' High School
Southland Boys' High School (SBHS) is an all-boys school in Invercargill, New Zealand, and has been the only one in the city since Marist Brothers was merged with St Catherines to form Verdon College in 1982.
History
SBHS was founded in 1881 an ...
, followed by the
University of Otago
, image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg
, image_size =
, caption = University clock tower
, motto = la, Sapere aude
, mottoeng = Dare to be wise
, established = 1869; 152 years ago
, type = Public research collegiate u ...
and then a
Rhodes scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...
to
Oriel College, Oxford
Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, wh ...
, from 1932 to 1935.
Career
His career in journalism began in 1935 when he joined the ''
News Chronicle
The ''News Chronicle'' was a British daily newspaper. Formed by the merger of '' The Daily News'' and the ''Daily Chronicle'' in 1930, it ceased publication on 17 October 1960,''Liberal Democrat News'' 15 October 2010, accessed 15 October 2010 be ...
''. He covered the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
from Madrid, then went to Vienna and Paris for the ''
Daily Express
The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...
'' in which he broke the news in 1939 that British troops had arrived in France. He then covered the
Winter War
The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
from Finland. He was critical of the Soviet attack on Finland but foresaw that the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
would defeat the Germans.
He enlisted in the
New Zealand Army
, image = New Zealand Army Logo.png
, image_size = 175px
, caption =
, start_date =
, country =
, branch = ...
, serving
in Crete and
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
as an Intelligence Officer on
Freyberg's staff, then was First Secretary at the new
New Zealand Embassy in Washington (when
Walter Nash
Sir Walter Nash (12 February 1882 – 4 June 1968) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 27th prime minister of New Zealand in the Second Labour Government from 1957 to 1960. He is noted for his long period of political service, havin ...
was Minister to the United States) before serving in Italy. In 1945, Cox was appointed a
Member of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(Military Division).
In 1956 he joined
ITN, the new commercial TV channel in Britain as News Editor of
Independent Television News
Independent Television News (ITN) is a UK-based television production company. It is made up of two divisions: Broadcast News and ITN Productions. ITN is based in London, with bureaux and offices in Beijing, Brussels, Jerusalem, Johannesburg, ...
. In the
1959 New Year Honours, Cox was appointed a
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
, and in the
1966 New Year Honours he was knighted as a
Knight Bachelor
The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...
. He started ''News at Ten'' in 1967. In 1977 Cox joined
Yorkshire Television
ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...
(YTV) as
Ward Thomas' Deputy Chairman.
In the
2000 Queen's Birthday Honours, Cox was appointed a
Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...
, for services to New Zealand and New Zealand interests in the United Kingdom.
Personal life
He married Cecily Turner in 1935; they had two sons and twin daughters; his wife died in 1993.
Bibliography
*''Defence of Madrid'' (1937,
Victor Gollancz
Sir Victor Gollancz (; 9 April 1893 – 8 February 1967) was a British publisher and humanitarian.
Gollancz was known as a supporter of left-wing causes. His loyalties shifted between liberalism and communism, but he defined himself as a Christ ...
, London) (2006
Otago University Press
Otago University Press is an academic publisher associated with the University of Otago. The press is located in Dunedin, New Zealand. The Otago University Press is the oldest academic publisher in Aotearoa New Zealand. The Otago University Press p ...
edition)
reprinted 2006
*''The Red Army Moves'' (1941, Victor Gollancz, London) (report from Finland on the Winter War)
*''The Road to Trieste'' (1947, Heinemann Heinemann may refer to:
* Heinemann (surname)
* Heinemann (publisher), a publishing company
* Heinemann Park, a.k.a. Pelican Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
See also
* Heineman
* Jamie Hyneman
James Franklin Hyneman (born Se ...
, London)
*''The Race for Trieste'' (1977, W. Kimber, London) & (1977, Whitcoulls
Whitcoulls is a major New Zealand book, stationery, gift, games & toy retail chain. Formerly known as Whitcombe & Tombs, it has 54 stores nationally. Whitcombe & Tombs was founded in 1888, and Coulls Somerville Wilkie in 1871. The companies mer ...
, Christchurch) (revision of ''The Road to Trieste'')
*''See It Happen (The Making of ITN)'' (1983, Bodley Head
The Bodley Head is an English publishing house, founded in 1887 and existing as an independent entity until the 1970s. The name was used as an imprint of Random House Children's Books from 1987 to 2008. In April 2008, it was revived as an adul ...
, London)
*''A Tale of Two Battles'' (1987, W. Kimber, London) (Greece & Crete, North Africa in World War II; Crete & Sidi Rezegh)
*''Countdown to War'' (1988, W. Kimber, London)
*''Pioneering Television News: a first hand report on a revolution in journalism'' (c1995, John Libbey, London)
*''Eyewitness: A Memoir of Europe in the 1930s'' (1999, University of Otago, Dunedin)
*''A New Zealand Boyhood'' (2004, Amadines Press, Gloucestershire, England)
References
*"Obituary" in ''
Dominion Post'', 10 April 2008 page B7 (from ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' &
NZPA
The New Zealand Press Association (NZPA) was a news agency that existed from 1879 to 2011 and provided national and international news to the media of New Zealand. The largest news agency in the country, it was founded as the United Press Associa ...
)
External links
Geoffrey Cox: Photo and article at NZ History websiteObituary: ''Times''Obituary: ''Telegraph''Obituary: ''Guardian''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Geoffrey
1910 births
2008 deaths
Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford
British people of the Spanish Civil War
British television executives
British television journalists
British war correspondents
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit
English memoirists
ITN
Knights Bachelor
New Zealand Army personnel
New Zealand diplomats
New Zealand emigrants to the United Kingdom
New Zealand memoirists
New Zealand male writers
New Zealand military personnel of World War II
New Zealand people of the Spanish Civil War
New Zealand Rhodes Scholars
People educated at Southland Boys' High School
People from Palmerston North
University of Otago alumni
20th-century British journalists
20th-century New Zealand journalists
20th-century memoirists