Edward F. Cox

Edward Ridley Finch Cox, born on October 2, 1946, in Southampton, New York, is an American attorney, politician, and public servant. He is currently serving as the chair of the New York Republican State Committee, a position he previously held from 2009 to 2019 and was re-elected to in March 2023.

Family and Early Life:

Cox was born at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital in Southampton, New York, to Howard Ellis Cox and Anne Crane Delafield (Finch) Cox. His father, Howard Ellis Cox, was a decorated aviator during World War II, a lawyer, and a Long Island real estate developer. Cox is named after his grandfather, Judge Edward R. Finch, who served as a Justice of the New York State Supreme Court from 1915 to 1943, Presiding Justice of the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division, First Department, and an Associate Judge on the New York Court of Appeals.

Education:

He attended Westhampton Beach Elementary School and Allen-Stevenson School in New York City. He graduated from the Princeton University Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in 1968 and from Harvard Law School in 1972.

Military Service:

During his time at Princeton, Cox was the battalion commander of his Army ROTC unit and organized a seminar on war. He completed officer training and airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia, and served as a reserve officer with the 11th Special Forces Group.

Professional Career:

Private Sector:

Cox began his legal career as an associate attorney at Cravath, Swaine & Moore. He later practiced law with William Colby, a notable figure from the Nixon administration. By 1997, he had become a partner at Donovan Leisure and subsequently joined Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, where he served on the management committee and chaired the corporate department.

Government and Public Service:

From 1981 to 1983, Cox served in the Reagan Administration as the Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the United States Synthetic Fuels Corporation. He has also been involved in international diplomacy, having visited with officials, including heads of state in over 30 countries, representing Presidents Nixon and George H.W. Bush.

He served as a commissioner of the Commission on Judicial Nomination from 1991 to 2009 and was chairman of the New York Council of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation from 1995 to 2008. Cox was a Trustee of the State University of New York (SUNY) from 1995 to 2009. Between 1999 and 2009, he co-chaired and chaired SUNY's Charter School Committee, founding the SUNY Charter School Institute and authorizing the establishment of fifty charter schools. In 2006, he led the environmental and energy transition team for Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.

Publications:

In the late 1960s, Cox co-authored The Nader Report on the Federal Trade Commission, which contributed to the revitalization of the FTC as a consumer advocacy agency. His writings have appeared in various publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New Republic, the Antitrust Law Journal, and the New York Post.

Political Activities:

Cox has been active in supporting Republican candidates in New York State across multiple election cycles. He played a significant role in the 1994 election that resulted in George Pataki becoming governor and Dennis Vacco as attorney general. He considered running for Governor of New York in 2006 but did not pursue the campaign. Instead, he ran for the U.S. Senate seat held by Hillary Clinton in 2006 but withdrew after Pataki endorsed Jeanine Pirro.

He chaired John McCain's presidential campaign efforts in New York during 2007 and 2008. Cox was elected chairman of the New York Republican State Committee on September 30, 2009. He announced in May 2019 that he would not seek re-election and joined President Donald Trump's re-election campaign. Nick Langworthy succeeded him as chairman on July 1, 2019. Cox was re-elected as chairman of the New York Republican State Committee on March 13, 2023.

Personal Life:

In 1971, Cox married Tricia Nixon, daughter of President Richard Nixon, in a ceremony held in the White House Rose Garden. The event was widely covered in the media, with Life Magazine noting it as akin to "American royalty." The New York Times described Cox as a "tall, fine-boned and handsome" individual from an esteemed American lineage. Edward and Tricia Cox have a son, Christopher Nixon Cox. The family resides on Long Island, New York.