John Isaac Cox

John Isaac Cox (November 23, 1855 – September 5, 1946) was an American politician who served as the 29th governor of Tennessee from 1905 to 1907. He was elevated to the position when Governor James B. Frazier resigned, and, as Speaker of the Tennessee Senate, he was the first in the line of succession. He failed to win his party's nomination for a second term, and returned to the state senate, where he remained until 1913. Cox also served as a county judge, city attorney, and local postmaster, and spent two terms in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

Early life Cox was born in Sullivan County, Tennessee, the son of Henry and Martha (Smith) Cox. He was elected to the state senate in 1900. On March 9, U.S. Senator William B. Bate died in office, prompting a scramble among potential candidates for his vacant senate seat. Former Governor Robert Love Taylor had for years tried unsuccessfully to get elected to the Senate, and considered himself next in line should one of the two seats become vacant. Governor James B. Frazier, however, also wanted the seat, and quickly convened a special session of the General Assembly to have himself elected before Taylor could return from a speaking tour. He implemented quarantines in an effort to eradicate yellow fever, which had long plagued the swampy western part of the state,

Later life

Cox remained in the state senate until 1913. He served another term as a state representative from 1913 until 1915, He afterward retired to his farm in the Holston Hills section of Bristol, but continued stumping for Democratic Party politicians. In the 1930s, he campaigned for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and supported the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Cox died on September 5, 1946, at George Ben Johnston Hospital in Abingdon, Virginia, following a long struggle with kidney illness. His was 90 years and 9 months old, becoming the longest-lived governor in Tennessee history (Tom Rye also lived to 90, but was shy by 6 months of tying Cox). In April 2018, Winfield Dunn (b. July 1927) broke Cox's longevity record and as of July 2019, has surpassed his 92nd birthday to become the longest-lived governor in Tennessee history.

Family

Cox married Laura Deaderick, daughter of his law mentor, William Deaderick, in 1882. They had one son, William, before she died in 1885. In 1889, Cox married Lorena Butler. They had two children, Matthew and Mary. Lorena Butler was a cousin of the Taylor brothers, Robert Love and Alf, who both also served as governors.