James M. Cox Papers
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MS-2: James M. Cox Papers Collection Number: MS-2 Title: James M. Cox Papers Dates: 1908-1960 Creator: Cox, James M. (James Middleton), 1870-1957 Summary/Abstract: Consists of correspondence, reports, speeches, photographs, clippings, and other printed materials relating to Cox's long career as a journalist and politician. Cox was a U.S. Congressman representing Ohio's 3rd District from 1909-1913, and the governor of Ohio from 1913-1915 and from 1917-1921. In 1920 he was the Democratic nominee for President with Franklin D. Roosevelt as his running mate. Cox was also the owner and publisher of several newspapers including the Dayton Daily News and the Dayton Journal Herald. The bulk of the material in this collection is correspondence covering such topics as local, national, and international politics, labor, monetary policy, economic matters, and journalism. A partial list of nationally known correspondents includes: William Jennings Bryan, Bernard Baruch, Josephus Daniels, James Farley, Cordell Hull, Walter Lippmann, Sam Rayburn, Franklin Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Adlai Stevenson, Harry Truman, Woodrow Wilson, and Orville and Wilbur Wright. The speeches include a number of radio campaign speeches (1920), speeches by Cox while Governor of Ohio (1913-1915), and speeches in support of Franklin Roosevelt and the policies of his administration. Quantity/Physical Description: 21 linear feet (43 Hollinger boxes) Language(s): English Repository: Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435-0001, (937) 775-2092, [email protected] Restrictions on Access: There are no restrictions on accessing material in this collection. Restrictions on Use: Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder. Preferred Citation: [Description of item, Date, Box #, Folder #], MS-2, James M. Cox Papers, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio MS-2: James M. Cox Papers 1 Acquisition: The collection was donated to Special Collections and Archives, Wright State University Libraries, by James M. Cox, Jr., the eldest son of James M. Cox, in April 1969. Other Finding Aid: The finding aid is available on the Special Collections & Archives, Wright State University Libraries web site at https://www.libraries.wright.edu/special/collectionguides/files/ms2.pdf. It is also available in the OhioLINK Finding Aid Repository at http://ead.ohiolink.edu/xtf-ead/. Related Material: MS-458: Dayton Daily News Archive. Microfilm for the Dayton Daily News and Dayton Journal-Herald is also available at Wright State University Libraries. MS-330: Arthur Compton / Trails End Club Papers. James M. Cox Papers (MSS 324), Ohio History Connection, Columbus, Ohio. Publication Note: Cox, James M., Journey Through My Years, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1946; available in the reading room at call number E748.C88 A3. Processing Information: Due to the value and irreplaceable nature of correspondence from some of the former Presidents including: Roosevelt, Truman, Taft, and Wilson, many of these materials have been encapsulated. Due to deterioration of the newspaper clippings, all of them have been Xeroxed, and the Xerox copies put back in the collection to replace the originals. Revisions: Finding aid revised by Lisa Rickey, April 2020. Processed by: Mime A. Ranville, February, 1980 Arrangement: The collection is arranged into 3 series: Series I: Speeches, 1908-1946 Series II: Subject/Topical Files, 1912-1947 Series III: Correspondence, 1911-1960 Biographical/Historical Note: James Middleton Cox was born March 31, 1870, at the Cox homestead in Jacksonburg, Butler County, Ohio. He was the youngest of seven children born to Gilbert and Eliza (Andrew) Cox. MS-2: James M. Cox Papers 2 James M. Cox attended high school in Amanda, a suburb of Middletown, Ohio, and graduated in 1886. He was employed as a printer's devil in a newspaper office during his off hours from high school. In 1887, Cox earned his teacher certification. He taught in Rockdale Schools and Titus School District. He was also a superintendent of night school in Middletown, Ohio. On Saturdays, Cox delivered the entire circulation of the (Middletown) Weekly Signal, a newspaper owned by his brother-in-law; this was the job that began his career in journalism. He (later) became a reporter and was associated with the Cincinnati Enquirer in an editorial capacity (1892). Cox’s career as a newspaper owner included the following newspapers (with dates of acquisition): Dayton (OH) Daily News (1898); Springfield (OH) Press-Republic (1905); Miami (FL) Metropolis (1923), later renamed Miami Daily News; Canton (OH) News (1923, sold 1930); Atlanta (GA) Journal (1939); Dayton (OH) Journal Herald (1948); and Atlanta (GA) Constitution (1950). Cox’s career as a politician included: Member 61st & 62nd Congress, 3rd Ohio Congressional district: 1909-1913; Governor of Ohio (3 terms): 1913-1915, 1917-1919, 1919-1921; and Vice-chairman, American delegation to the World Monetary and Economic Conference in London, England: 1933. On May 25, 1893, in Cincinnati, Ohio, James M. Cox married Mary Simpson Harding (1875- 1957), daughter of George W. and Emily E. (Simpson) Harding. James and Mary had four children: (1) Paul James Cox was born in November 1894 and died in December 1894. (2) Helen H. Cox was born in March 1896, married Daniel James Mahoney, and died May 16, 1921, in Oakwood, Ohio. (3) James M. Cox, Jr., was born in June 1903, married Helen Rumsey in 1930, and died in October 1974. (4) John William Cox was born in December 1907, died after 1940. James and Mary were divorced, about 1912. Mary later married Richard Lee in 1914. On September 15, 1917, James M. Cox married Margaretta Blair (1890-1960), and they had three children: (5) Thomas Blair Cox, born and died in June 1918. (6) Anne Beau Cox, born December 1919; married (1) Louis G. Johnson in 1940, and (2) Robert W. Chambers in 1955; Anne died January 31, 2020. (7) Barbara Blair Cox, born December 1922; married (1) Bradford Ripley, (2) Stanley C. Kennedy, Jr., (3) James Glover, and (4) Garner Anthony, Jr.; Barbara died May 28, 2007. James Cox’s Dayton area residence was known as Trailsend (now 3500 Governors Trail Road in Kettering). His ancestry was English, and his religion was Episcopalian. He was an avid outdoorsman and golfer. In 1946, he authored an autobiography Journey Through My Years. He was also awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Ohio State University in 1947. MS-2: James M. Cox Papers 3 James M. Cox, Sr., died at the age of 87 on July 15, 1957, in Dayton, Ohio. His funeral arrangements were handled by Boyer Funeral Home in Dayton, and he was buried in Woodland Cemetery in Dayton. Scope and Content Note: The papers of James M. Cox contain a variety of materials covering the years 1908-1957. These materials include bills, bulletins, correspondence, newspaper clippings, Photostats (of newspapers, letters, and speeches), photographs, reports, and speeches. The collection divides naturally into three record series: speeches, subject/topical files, and correspondence. Series I, Speeches, consists of speeches given by James M. Cox. These are contained in boxes 1 and 2 of the collection, and cover the years 1908-1916 and 1918-1946, respectively. (A few speeches are undated.) These speeches were given on various occasions and cover a variety of topics, including agriculture, the Civil War, President Andrew Jackson, President Abraham Lincoln, Support of the Payne Tariff Bill, roads, schools, taxes, and workmen's compensation. Those which may be of particular interest, include bound speeches by Cox, while Governor of Ohio, to the state's General Assembly (1913-1915), his acceptance speech as the democratic nominee for president of the United States in 1920 (July 6, 1920), a series of radio campaign speeches (1920), a speech supporting Governor Al Smith's (D.NY) bid for the presidency in 1928 (November 3, 1928), speeches in support of Franklin D. Roosevelt and various policies of his administration(s), and a speech, on the occasion of FDR's death, paying tribute to Roosevelt and also commenting on Eleanor Roosevelt. The speeches are arranged in chronological order, with undated speeches at the end. The dated speeches span from 1908 to 1946. Most of the speeches contain a slip of paper affixed on the top, over the actual speech, detailing the occasion at which the speech was given as well as the subjects covered in the speech. Series II, Subject/Topical Files, are contained in Boxes 3-6 of the Cox Papers, and cover international and political matters: 1920 (Box 3), political matters: 1920-1947 (Box 4) and gubernatorial election: 1912 (Box 4), elections: 1912, 1914, & 1916 (Box 5) and gubernatorial and general letters (Boxes 5-6). Topics of interest, include League of Nations, the Court of International Justice, the World Monetary and Economic Conference (1933), the National Elections of 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1940, & 1946, the 1912, 1914, & 1916 gubernatorial elections, the 1913 Dayton (OH) flood, Montgomery County (OH) general materials, and correspondence and clippings concerning the Wright Brothers. Materials in Series II date from 1912 to 1947. Series III, Correspondence, contains the majority of materials in the Cox papers. These materials, which date from 1911 to 1960, are contained in Boxes 7-43 of the collection,