Jacob Dolson Cox Papers, 1842-1901

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Series 1. Correspondence (Incoming), 1861-1900 (1.2 lin. ft.)

Consists primarily of letters received by Cox, although some outgoing correspondence is included in the index and calendar. Correspondence is arranged in two subseries: 1. Calendared Correspondence and 2. Uncalendared Correspondence. The more than 600 calendared items are chronologically arranged. The 80 uncalendared items are arranged by recipient with the exception of 23 miscellaneous letters.

Series 2. Correspondence (Outgoing), 1852-1900 (1.6 lin. ft.)

Contains over 1,000 examples of Cox’s outgoing correspondence. The bulk of the correspondence is contained in letter press copy books (4 volumes) and manifold letter books (4 volumes). The eight volumes were not kept in a strictly chronological order. Some 123 original letters sent to family and friends are arranged alphabetically by recipient. Photostats from other repositories (63 items) conclude the series. The series is divided into four subseries based on format: 1. Letter Press Copy Books, 2. Manifold Letter Books, 3. Original Correspondence (Outgoing), and 4. Non-Original Correspondence (Outgoing).

Series 3. Files Relating to Jacob Dolson Cox’s Legal Career,

    1842-84, n.d. (0.2 lin. ft.)

Cox’s legal career is partially documented in this series which contains an account book from the firm Leggett and Cox, 1853-75, as well as various legal records.

Series 4. Files Relating to Jacob Dolson Cox’s Military Career,

    1861-98, n.d. (5.63 lin. ft.)

The military service of General Cox is well documented in this series, which includes accounts written both during and after action. Field dispatches (manifold copy) and two diaries give a detailed description of his military activity from 1864 to 1865. Much of the later material consists of letters and papers gathered while researching his military histories. These items incorporate letters and reminiscences from other officers. The wealth of the documentation concerns the Battle of Franklin. Organized into two subseries: 1. Military Records and Papers and 2. Military History Research Files. The latter includes documentation fo rthe Fitz-John Porter court martial case, with a set of 22 maps in addition to correspondence, notes, and printed material.

Series 5. Files Relating to Jacob Dolson Cox’s Public Service, 1865-77 (0.3 lin. ft.)

This series, which provides an incomplete record of Cox’s public service, primarily centers on the McGarrahan Case. Cox was involved in this case while U.S. Secretary of the Interior.

Series 6. Files Relating to Jacob Dolson Cox’s Tenure at the University of Cincinnati, 1870-99 (0.2 lin. ft.)

A letter press copy book, 1881-91, a history lecture outline, 1886, and miscellaneous records provide evidence of Cox as Dean of the Cincinnati Law School. A letter press copy book kept while Cox served jointly as president is retained by the University of Cincinnati.

Series 7. Notes on Readings, 1866-70, n.d. (0.3 lin. ft.)

Cox’s voracious appetite for books and knowledge is evident in this series consisting of notes made by Cox on his readings from philosophy, history and science. Notes on works by Spinoza are partially in shorthand.

Series 8. Scientific Notes and Writings, 1872, 1881-93, n.d. (0.4 lin. ft.)

Included here are rough notes (8 volumes) and copies of most of the 29 articles Cox wrote on the subject of microscopy and microphotography. The writings are separated by publication and arranged chronologically.

Series 9. Talks and Writings, 1853-1900, n.d. (1.0 lin. ft.)

Contains 56 addresses and articles written by Cox, both manuscript and printed. The items are chronologically arranged in two subseries: 1. Talks and Writings (Manuscript) and 2. Talks and Writings (Printed).

Series 10. Book Reviews, 1874-1900, n.d. (0.2 lin. ft.)

This series is a chronological arrangement of most of the 161 articles and reviews, which Cox wrote for the Nation. Included here is a listing of all his articles and reviews compiled by William C. Cochran.

Series 11. Scrapbooks and Clippings, 1860-72, 1878-95, n.d. (0.6 lin. ft.)

Although kept by his brother Charles Finney Cox, the four scrapbooks provide a comprehensive collection of newspaper coverage of Jacob Dolson Cox’s political and military career from 1861 to 1872. Some loose scattered clippings cover the years 1878-95.

Series 12. Miscellaneous Materials, 1851-1901 (0.2 lin. ft.)

Included in this catch-all of miscellany related to Cox is information on reunions of Civil War veterans (1886, 1900) and memorial tributes and obituaries (1900).

Series 13. Photographs, c. 1861-65, 1863-99 (0.2 lin. ft.)

Contains 16 loose images of Cox family members (including 5 of J.D. Cox and 3 of Mrs. J.D. Cox) and a remarkable album of 48 Civil War personages among them numerous Generals associated with Cox.

Jacob Dolson Cox was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on October 25, 1828. His early years were spent in New York City where he apprenticed in law. He elected to forsake law and enter the ministry instead, journeying to Oberlin, Ohio, in 1846 to attend Oberlin College (then known as the Oberlin Collegiate Institute). Enrolling in the Preparatory Department and Seminary, in addition to taking the regular college course, Cox was awarded the A.B. degree in 1851 and the A.M. in 1854.

While still a student at Oberlin, Cox married Helen Finney Cochran (1828-1911, L.B. 1846), the eldest daughter of Oberlin’s second president, Charles Grandison Finney (1792-1875). Helen was the widow of Oberlin Professor William Cochran (1814-1847) by whom she had a son, William (1848-1936, A.B. 1869, LL.D. 1919). The Coxes had five more children: Helen Finney (1850-1936), Jacob Dolson (1852-1930), Kenyon (1856-1919, hon. 1912), Charles Norton (1858-1907), and Charlotte Hope (1871-1937). Two other children, Brewster (1861-1861) and Dennison (1867-1868), died in infancy.

In 1851, Cox moved to Warren, Ohio, where he served as superintendent of schools and principal of the high school. He also completed his legal training and entered a law practice. Joining the Whig party in 1853, he lost an election for prosecuting attorney. A man of strong anti-slavery views, Cox changed party affiliations to join the new Republican Party. He served as a delegate to the 1855 State Convention that organized the Republican Party in Ohio. In 1858 he won election to the State Senate of Ohio and during his term allied closely with other anti-slavery advocates, including James A. Garfield (1831-1881).

When the Civil War broke out, Cox was appointed a Brigadier-General of Volunteers and placed in charge of training Ohio troops. His active campaigning began in Western Virginia under General George B. McClellan. Subsequently, he fought at the battles of Antietam, Atlanta, Franklin, and Nashville, after which he was promoted to Major General. An 1862 opportunity for promotion fell through when the allotted quota of promotions was surpassed. The conclusion of his military service was spent supervising the paroling of Confederate troops in North Carolina.

After the Civil War Cox was nominated as the Republican candidate for Governor of Ohio. During the campaign he published his famous “Oberlin Letter,” calling for the segregation of formerly enslaved people into a separate state and for opposition to Black suffrage. Cox was elected and served one gubernatorial term, 1866-67. He attempted to compromise the dispute between President Andrew Johnson and the radical Republicans in Congress over Reconstruction policy, but failed. His advocacy of forcible segregation, and his support for Andrew Johnson’s position on Reconstruction, resulted in losing favor with his party. When Cox was not renominated for a second term, he entered into private law practice in Cincinnati.

In March 1869, after declining President Johnson’s offer to serve as Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Cox was appointed Secretary of the Interior by President Ulysses S. Grant. He revised the government’s policies toward Indigenous tribes, established the first complete civil service examination and appointment system, and reformed five bureaus under his control. After serving only eighteen months, Cox submitted his resignation. He attributed his decision to resign to rampant corruption in the Grant administration. He also believed that President Grant did not fully support him in matters involving civil service reform.

After leaving federal government service, Cox resumed his law practice in Cincinnati. He soon identified himself with the Liberal Republican movement and was briefly considered as the Party’s presidential nominee in 1872. In 1873 he moved to Toledo to act as president and then receiver of the Toledo, Wabash, and Western Railroad. He managed it through the Panic of 1873 and the subsequent depression. He again entered the world of politics in 1876, serving as a representative of the 6th Ohio district, U.S. Congress. There he was reunited with his friend James A. Garfield and his brother-in-law James Monroe (1821-1898, A.B. 1846, B.D. 1849, A.M. 1850).

After only one term in Congress, Cox returned to his law practice in Cincinnati. In 1881 Cox accepted the deanship of the Cincinnati Law School, which he held until 1897, serving concurrently as President of the University of Cincinnati during 1885-89. During this time he declined a number of political opportunities.

In addition to his other attainments, Cox made quite a reputation as a writer on military history. He took up the study of microphotography as an avocation, published some thirty articles on the subject, and twice was elected president of the American Microscopy Society. He also became a military historian, focusing on the Civil War. Between 1874 and his death, he was the military book critic for the Nation magazine and authored seven books or book sections on military aspects of the Civil War including Atlanta (1882), The March to the Sea: Franklin and Nashville (1882), and The Battle of Franklin, Tennessee, November 30, 1864 (1897).

From 1897 to 1900, Cox lived in Oberlin. There, he wrote his two-volume Military Reminiscences of the Civil War (Scribners’ Sons, 1900). Beginning in 1876, he had served as a trustee of Oberlin College. He donated his private library to the College's collection. He died in Magnolia, Massachusetts, on August 4, 1900, and was buried in Cincinnati four days later.