Channing H. Cox | |
|---|---|
 Cox in 1921 | |
| Chair of theNational Governors Association | |
| In office December 14, 1922 – November 17, 1924 | |
| Preceded by | William Cameron Sproul |
| Succeeded by | Elbert Lee Trinkle |
| 49thGovernor of Massachusetts | |
| In office January 6, 1921 – January 8, 1925 | |
| Lieutenant | Alvan T. Fuller |
| Preceded by | Calvin Coolidge |
| Succeeded by | Alvan T. Fuller |
| 47thLieutenant Governor of Massachusetts | |
| In office January 2, 1919 – January 6, 1921 | |
| Governor | Calvin Coolidge |
| Preceded by | Calvin Coolidge |
| Succeeded by | Alvan T. Fuller |
| Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | |
| In office January 6, 1915 – January 2, 1919 | |
| Preceded by | Grafton D. Cushing |
| Succeeded by | Joseph E. Warner |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | |
| In office January 6, 1909 – January 2, 1919 | |
| Member of theBoston Common Council | |
| In office 1908–1909 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Channing Harris Cox (1879-10-28)October 28, 1879 |
| Died | August 20, 1968(1968-08-20) (aged 88) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Mary Young (m. 1915) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Dartmouth College (AB) Harvard University (LLB) |
Channing Harris Cox (October 28, 1879 – August 20, 1968) was an AmericanRepublican politician, lawyer, and businessman fromMassachusetts. He served as the 49thgovernor of Massachusetts, from 1921 to 1925. He attendedDartmouth College and served as 47th lieutenant governor toCalvin Coolidge, winning election as governor after Coolidge decided to run forvice president. 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 theEastern States Exposition on September 19, 1921, at the debut of stationWBZ inSpringfield.[1]
Channing Cox was born inManchester, New Hampshire, to Charles Edson Cox and Evelyn Mary (Randall) Cox.[2] He was one of four brothers, one beingLouis Cox, who became a Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.[3] He attended the Manchester public schools and thenDartmouth College, from which he graduated in 1901. He then attendedHarvard Law School, receiving his degree there in 1904.[4] Cox remained a lifelong supporter of Dartmouth, where a residence hall is named in his honor.
Cox then opened a law practice inBoston, Massachusetts, which he maintained until he was elected governor.[4]
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 asSpeaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. During these years he became politically associated withCalvin Coolidge, who was Senate President andLieutenant Governor. 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 forVice President of the United States in1920.[4]
Cox ran for governor in 1920, which was the first two-year term for the office. His victory overJohn Jackson Walsh was part of a broad national win for the Republicans, including a sweep of statewide offices in Massachusetts, which was spurred by nativist opposition toWilson administration policies on immigration.[5] Cox contributed to theanti-immigrant sentiment in Massachusetts by characterizing discontented immigrants as a "motley array of questionable groups and influences".[6] He won reelection in 1922, in another race against disorganized Democratic opposition. Although the state was in an economic downturn (an early whisper of theGreat Depression), with textile production dropping and wages down, his campaigns emphasized "economy and sound administration" in governance, terms which characterized Republican campaigns through the 1920s.[7] In 1922, Cox defeated formerMayor of BostonJohn "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald by more than 60,000 votes.[8]
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.[9] In the 1922 race, Cox claimed credit for reducing income taxes by $2 million and the state's debt by $12 million.[10] Substantive reforms were typically buried by the legislature, which studied reform proposals but generally did not act on them.[11] Cox opted not to run for reelection in 1924, supporting Lieutenant GovernorAlvan T. Fuller as his successor.
After leaving office, Cox was encouraged to run for theUnited States Senate seat opened by the death ofHenry Cabot Lodge. 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,[4] and was an active member of the state humane society.[12] He died in 1968 at his summer home inWest Harwich, Massachusetts, and was buried in Boston'sForest Hills Cemetery.[4]
Cox had married Mary Young ofWellfleet in 1915; they had one child.[4]
In 1922 Cox became a compatriot of the Massachusetts Society of theSons of the American Revolution.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives 1915–1918 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts 1919–1921 | Succeeded by |
| Governor of Massachusetts 1921–1925 | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of theNational Governors Association 1922–1924 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forLieutenant Governor of Massachusetts 1918, 1919 | Succeeded by |
| Republican nominee forGovernor of Massachusetts 1920,1922 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
