William Sitgreaves Cox

William Sitgreaves Cox (1790–1874) was an American sailor during the War of 1812. He was serving as acting lieutenant aboard the USS Chesapeake at the time of its capture by HMS Shannon. Cox was subsequently court-martialed for his actions during that engagement and discharged from the Navy. After advocacy from his descendants, his rank was restored by President Harry S Truman.

Early life

Cox was born in Philadelphia in 1790. He attended Princeton, convocating in 1808.

Naval career

He joined the United States Navy in January 1809, with the rank of midshipman and was assigned to the President. On the Chesapeake being taken by the British he was made prisoner. After being exchanged he was promoted to third lieutenant. and a real estate broker. had at least two daughters and one son. Cox died on October 19, 1874.

Legacy Cox's role on the Chesapeake was mentioned by Theodore Roosevelt in his book The Naval War of 1812. In this work, Roosevelt initially stated that Cox had acted "basely"; however, he received such pushback from Cox's relatives that he removed this statement in later editions of the book and apologized.

Cox's great-grandson, the New York architect Electus D. Litchfield, campaigned for nearly 20 years to have the conviction overturned. In 1952, after passage of a resolution of Congress in support of Cox, President Harry S Truman cleared Cox's name and restored his rank.