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Ohio
Gov. Jacob Dolson Cox
- January 8, 1866 - January 13, 1868
- Republican
- October 27, 1828
- August 4, 1900
- Other
- Oberlin (Ohio) College
- Married Helen Finney; eight children
- Representative, Cabinet secretary
- Army
About
JACOB D. COX, the twenty-eighth governor of Ohio, was born in Montreal, Canada on October 27, 1828. His education was attained at Oberlin (Ohio) College, where he graduated in 1851. He went on to study law, and then established his legal career in Warren, Ohio. During the Civil War, he served as brigadier general of the Ohio militia, and later was promoted to the rank of major general. Cox first entered politics as a member of the Ohio State Senate, a position he held from 1860 to 1861. He next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in the 1865 general election. During his tenure, post war issues were dealt with. After declining to run for reelection, Cox retired briefly from politics. In 1869, he returned to the political arena, serving as President Grant’s secretary of the interior, a post he held until 1870. He also was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1877 to 1879. Afterwards, he retired from political life. He continued to stay active, serving as the dean of the Cincinnati Law School, as well as serving as president of the University of Cincinnati. Governor Jacob D. Cox, who was the author of several Civil War books, passed away on August 4, 1900. He was buried in the Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Source
Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 3, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.