William Cox

Arthur William (Bill) Cox, (May 13, 1921 – October 8, 2008) was a Canadian lawyer, practising in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He served overseas during World War II. On his return to Canada, he became an active member of the legal profession, serving as president of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society (1971–1972), the Federation of Law Societies of Canada (1975–1976) and the Canadian Bar Association. He was also active politically, with both the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia.

Early life and family

Cox was born in Saint John, New Brunswick. His parents were Arthur Earle and Anna Beatrice (McGinley) Cox. He was educated in public schools and went on to Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, where he was active in the university community. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1942.

He married Margaret Macpherson, with whom he had four daughters.

Military career Cox participated in the Canadian Officer Training Corps while attending university. Upon graduation in 1942, he was commissioned into the Canadian Army and was posted to Britain. He was wounded in combat in Holland and transferred to a London hospital. Upon recovery, Cox became a battlefield instructor until the end of the war. During his term as president, he chaired the Nova Scotia Committee on Implementation of Legal Aid.

Following his term as president of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society, he became the Society's representative on the Federation of Law Societies of Canada, an umbrella body for all Canadian law societies. He eventually served as president of the Federation, in 1975-1976.

Cox was chair of the Law Foundation of Nova Scotia for ten years.

Community Activities

Cox was on the executive committee of the board of governors of Acadia University, his alma mater. He also was a volunteer with the Red Cross, including a term as chairman of the combined Red Cross - Community Chest Appeal. He was a member of the Saraguay Club, the Royal United Services Institute in Halifax, as well as the North British Society. He was also active with the Nova Scotia Assessors School.

He belonged to St Matthew's United Church, and eventually served as an elder and chairman of stewards. Cox later transferred to St David's Presbyterian church.

Political activities

Cox was a supporter of the Progressive Conservative Party, both federally and provincially. He was a past president of the Halifax City and County Progressive Conservative Association. For ten years, he was the Treasurer of the Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia, coinciding with Robert Stanfield's term as premier of Nova Scotia. Later, he was the Vice-President of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.

Later life

Cox retired from the practice of law in 1991. In his retirement, he became a columnist for the Halifax Chronicle-Herald, starting in 1997.

Cox died in Halifax in 2008, at the Camp Hill Veterans' Memorial Building, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre.

Honours and distinctions

1965: Queen's Counsel 1977: Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers 1981: Honorary Member of the American Bar Association 1982: Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, Dalhousie University 1996: First recipient of the Distinguished Service Award presented by the Nova Scotia Branch of the CBA 1997: Honorary Fellow in the Law for the Future Fund of the CBA 2002: Received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal Life Fellow of the Foundation for Legal Research and the CBA