William Hopkinson Cox (October 22, 1856 – October 13, 1950) was an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

, who served as the 30th Lieutenant Governor of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

from 1907 to 1911, under Governor Augustus E. Willson.

Early life and family

William Cox was born October 22, 1856 in

Maysville, Kentucky Maysville is a home rule-class city in Mason County, Kentucky, United States and is the seat of Mason County. The population was 8,782 as of 2019, making it the 51st-largest city in Kentucky by population. Maysville is on the Ohio River, north ...

.''Legislative History'', p. 29 He was the son of William Hopkinson and Elizabeth R. (Newman) Cox.''Biographical Cyclopedia'', p. 187 His paternal grandfather, George Cox, immigrated from

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

in 1817 and founded a

dry goods Dry goods is a historic term describing the type of product line a store carries, which differs by region. The term comes from the textile trade, and the shops appear to have spread with the mercantile trade across the British Empire (and forme ...

store in

in 1819. Cox was educated in the private schools of Maysville. He began working in the family store at age fifteen, and he and his brother George assumed operation of the store when their father died in 1885. In 1904, the brothers sold the successful business to the firm of D. Hunt and Son.Johnson, p. 843 In 1889, Cox became president of the State National Bank in Maysville, holding this position until 1901. He was also director of the Electric Light and Gas Company for a time. Cox took an active part in the development of Maysville, financing the construction of the Cox Building in that city.Johnson, p. 844 He also owned a housing terrace on Market Street between Third and Fourth Streets in Maysville, which became known as the Cox Block of Maysville. In 1880, Cox married Susan E. Farrow, niece of the Chief Justice Peters of the

Kentucky Court of Appeals The Kentucky Court of Appeals is the lower of Kentucky's two appellate courts, under the Kentucky Supreme Court. Prior to a 1975 amendment to the Kentucky Constitution the Kentucky Court of Appeals was the only appellate court in Kentucky. Th ...

. They had one daughter, Roberta Stockton (Cox) Wheat. Cox and his wife were faithful adherents of the Episcopal church.

Political career

For seven years, Cox served on the Maysville City Council, presiding over the Council for five of those years. In 1888, he was chosen as the

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 ...

nominee for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, but he declined the nomination. In November 1893, Cox was elected mayor of the city of Maysville.''Biographical Cyclopedia'', p. 188 He was the first mayor of the city elected under the new

Kentucky Constitution The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the document that governs the Kentucky, Commonwealth of Kentucky. It was first adopted in 1792 and has since been rewritten three times and amended many more. The later versions were adopted in 179 ...

of 1891. Cox was a delegate to the

1892 Republican National Convention The 1892 Republican National Convention was held at the Industrial Exposition Building, Minneapolis, Minnesota, from June 7 to June 10, 1892. The party nominated President Benjamin Harrison for re-election on the first ballot and Whitelaw Reid o ...

that nominated

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

for a second term as

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

. He was chosen as Kentucky's representative to the delegation that officially notified Harrison of his renomination. Cox was elected to represent Mason and

Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...

counties in the Kentucky Senate. He was re-elected once, serving a total of eight years. During his term, he supported the local option solution to the question of

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcohol ...

. In 1906, he received every Republican vote in the legislature for election to 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 pow ...

, but lost to

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Thomas H. Paynter. Cox was elected Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky in 1907, serving under

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Augustus E. Willson. He died October 13, 1950.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, William H. 1856 births 1950 deaths American Episcopalians Republican Party Kentucky state senators Lieutenant Governors of Kentucky Mayors of places in Kentucky Kentucky city council members People from Maysville, Kentucky