Edward E. Cox
Encyclopedia
Edward Eugene "Eugene" or "Goober" Cox (April 3, 1880 - December 24, 1952) served as a U.S. Representative
from Georgia
for nearly twenty-eight years. A conservative Democrat
who supported segregation
and opposed President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "New Deal
," Cox became the most senior Democrat on the House Committee on Rules. Two special investigative committees that he chaired were heavily criticized as result-oriented persecutions of those Cox did not like.
Born near Camilla, Georgia
, Cox attended Camilla High School and Mercer University
in Macon, Georgia
, before graduating from the law department of that university in 1902. The same year, he was admitted to the bar
and commenced practice in Camilla. In 1904, he was elected mayor of Camilla and held the position for two years.
He served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention
in 1908.
Cox was appointed and subsequently elected judge of the superior court of the Albany
circuit and served from 1912 until 1916. That year, he resigned to challenge incumbent Frank Park
for the Democratic nomination to represent Georgia's 2nd congressional district
in the Sixty-fifth
Congress. Park defeated Cox. It took until 1924, when Cox finally won the Democratic nomination from Park, and was elected to the 69th United States Congress
. Once in office, Cox was re-elected thirteen times. In all, he served from March 4, 1925, until his death in 1952. Cox died of a heart attack on December 24, 1952, between his victory in the 1952 general election and the start of the 83rd United States Congress
.
Although Cox was a frequent critic of the administrations of Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman
, their coattails often provided Democratic majorities in the House that allowed Cox to chair powerful committees, particularly in his later years. He was part of a series of conservative Democrats and Republicans who held the chairmanship of the U.S. House Committee on Rules from 1935 until 1961, which provided a major obstacle to the progress of civil rights and social justice legislation during that period. In 1950, Cox made an unsuccessful attempt to forge a coalition of Dixiecrat
Democrats and leaders of the House's Republican minority, in support of a bill that would "restore to the House Rules Committee its old power to bury any bill safely in a deep committee pigeonhole."
In 1943, Cox sponsored and chaired a select committee whose mission was to investigate the Federal Communications Commission
. Cox clashed strongly with FCC chairman James Lawrence Fly
, who regularly released press statements attacking Cox and the committee. However, it was revealed that, shortly before the investigation began, Cox had been paid to represent a private party seeking favorable action from the FCC. Commissioner C. J. Durr petitioned Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn
to remove Cox from the committee for conflict of interest, but Rayburn, a personal friend of Cox's, referred the issue to the Judiciary Committee, which concluded it had no authority in the matter. The original conflict of interest led to a criminal inquiry of Cox by the U.S. Department of Justice, and destroyed the credibility of his investigation of the agency to such a degree that Cox was forced to give up his committee seat.
In June 1949, during debate on the Housing Act of 1949
, Cox (then 69) started a fist fight on the floor of the House with that chamber's Dean
, Representative Adolph J. Sabath
(then 83). The combatants, each a longstanding Democratic member of the Rules Committee, soon apologized and expressed their admiration for the other.
In the Eighty-second
Congress (his final term), Cox was chairman of the United States House Select Committee to Investigate Tax-Exempt Foundations and Comparable Organizations. The Committee's focus was on whether the organizations and persons receiving funding from foundations included subversives. The Committee's report was not issued until after Cox's death.
After his death in Bethesda, Maryland
, Cox was interred in Oakview Cemetery, Camilla, Georgia.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
for nearly twenty-eight years. A conservative Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
who supported segregation
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
and opposed President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
," Cox became the most senior Democrat on the House Committee on Rules. Two special investigative committees that he chaired were heavily criticized as result-oriented persecutions of those Cox did not like.
Born near Camilla, Georgia
Camilla, Georgia
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,669 people, 1,994 households, and 1,405 families residing in the city. The population density was 929.4 people per square mile . There were 2,128 housing units at an average density of 348.9 per square mile...
, Cox attended Camilla High School and Mercer University
Mercer University
Mercer University is an independent, private, coeducational university with a Baptist heritage located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Mercer is the only university of its size in the United States that offers programs in eleven diversified fields of study: liberal arts, business, education, music,...
in Macon, Georgia
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
, before graduating from the law department of that university in 1902. The same year, he was admitted to the bar
Admission to the bar in the United States
In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...
and commenced practice in Camilla. In 1904, he was elected mayor of Camilla and held the position for two years.
He served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention
1908 Democratic National Convention
The 1908 Democratic National Convention was the quadrennial Democratic National Convention, the presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party. It took place from July 7 to July 10, 1908 at Denver Auditorium Arena in Denver, Colorado....
in 1908.
Cox was appointed and subsequently elected judge of the superior court of the Albany
Albany, Georgia
Albany is a city in and the county seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. It is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan area and the southwest part of the state. The population was 77,434 at the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the...
circuit and served from 1912 until 1916. That year, he resigned to challenge incumbent Frank Park
Frank Park
Frank Park was an American politician, educator, lawyer and jurist from the state of Georgia.Park was born in Tuskegee, Alabama in 1864 and attended the University of Georgia in Athens where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Literary Society. He taught from 1882 through 1885 then worked as a...
for the Democratic nomination to represent Georgia's 2nd congressional district
Georgia's 2nd congressional district
Georgia's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. One of the largest districts by size, it takes in most of the southwestern fourth of the state of Georgia...
in the Sixty-fifth
65th United States Congress
The Sixty-fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1917 to March 4, 1919, during the fourth and fifth...
Congress. Park defeated Cox. It took until 1924, when Cox finally won the Democratic nomination from Park, and was elected to the 69th United States Congress
69th United States Congress
The Sixty-ninth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1925 to March 4, 1927, during the third and fourth...
. Once in office, Cox was re-elected thirteen times. In all, he served from March 4, 1925, until his death in 1952. Cox died of a heart attack on December 24, 1952, between his victory in the 1952 general election and the start of the 83rd United States Congress
83rd United States Congress
The Eighty-third United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1953 to January 3, 1955, during the first two years...
.
Although Cox was a frequent critic of the administrations of Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
, their coattails often provided Democratic majorities in the House that allowed Cox to chair powerful committees, particularly in his later years. He was part of a series of conservative Democrats and Republicans who held the chairmanship of the U.S. House Committee on Rules from 1935 until 1961, which provided a major obstacle to the progress of civil rights and social justice legislation during that period. In 1950, Cox made an unsuccessful attempt to forge a coalition of Dixiecrat
Dixiecrat
The States' Rights Democratic Party was a short-lived segregationist political party in the United States in 1948...
Democrats and leaders of the House's Republican minority, in support of a bill that would "restore to the House Rules Committee its old power to bury any bill safely in a deep committee pigeonhole."
In 1943, Cox sponsored and chaired a select committee whose mission was to investigate the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
. Cox clashed strongly with FCC chairman James Lawrence Fly
James Lawrence Fly
James Lawrence Fly was an influential American lawyer, famous as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and, later, director of the American Civil Liberties Union...
, who regularly released press statements attacking Cox and the committee. However, it was revealed that, shortly before the investigation began, Cox had been paid to represent a private party seeking favorable action from the FCC. Commissioner C. J. Durr petitioned Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn
Sam Rayburn
Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn , often called "Mr. Sam," or "Mr. Democrat," was a Democratic lawmaker from Bonham, Texas, who served as the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives for seventeen years, the longest tenure in U.S. history.- Background :Rayburn was born in Roane County, Tennessee, and...
to remove Cox from the committee for conflict of interest, but Rayburn, a personal friend of Cox's, referred the issue to the Judiciary Committee, which concluded it had no authority in the matter. The original conflict of interest led to a criminal inquiry of Cox by the U.S. Department of Justice, and destroyed the credibility of his investigation of the agency to such a degree that Cox was forced to give up his committee seat.
In June 1949, during debate on the Housing Act of 1949
Housing Act of 1949
The American Housing Act of 1949 was a landmark, sweeping expansion of the federal role in mortgage insurance and issuance and the construction of public housing...
, Cox (then 69) started a fist fight on the floor of the House with that chamber's Dean
Dean of the United States House of Representatives
The Dean of the United States House of Representatives is the longest continuously serving member of the House. The present Dean is John Dingell, a Democrat of Michigan....
, Representative Adolph J. Sabath
Adolph J. Sabath
Adolph Joachim Sabath was an American politician. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Chicago, Illinois, from 1907 until his death.He immigrated to America at age 15, became active in real estate, and received his LL.B...
(then 83). The combatants, each a longstanding Democratic member of the Rules Committee, soon apologized and expressed their admiration for the other.
In the Eighty-second
82nd United States Congress
The Eighty-second United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1951 to January 3, 1953, during the last two years...
Congress (his final term), Cox was chairman of the United States House Select Committee to Investigate Tax-Exempt Foundations and Comparable Organizations. The Committee's focus was on whether the organizations and persons receiving funding from foundations included subversives. The Committee's report was not issued until after Cox's death.
After his death in Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
, Cox was interred in Oakview Cemetery, Camilla, Georgia.