Lake County IN Archives Biographies.....Cox, Lawrence 1866 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/in/infiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com December 7, 2006, 10:37 pm Author: T. H. Ball (1904) LAWRENCE COX. Lawrence Cox, superintendent of the Metropolitan police of Hammond, has been connected with the public life and business interests and as a private citizen of Hammond for over fifteen years, and there is perhaps no better known resident of the city nor any more interested in the welfare and general development of both city and county. He has been in some important official position for the past seven years, and has been found efficient, energetic and painstaking in all his performances. Mr. Cox was born in the province of Ontario, Canada, near Kingston, June 16, 1866, a son of John and Mary (Kane) Cox, both natives of Canada. His paternal grandfather was the founder of the family in America. He was born in Ireland, and about the beginning of the nineteenth century he and his wife Isabella emigrated to Canada, and their four daughters and one son were all born on this side of the waters. John Cox has been a life-long and prominent farmer of Canada, and now resides on Howe Island, in Ontario. He has been prominent in the public affairs of his community, being now county commissioner of Frontenac county. He was reeve of his township for a number of years, and was fishery overseer for some years under Sir John McDonald. He is a member of the Catholic church, as was also his wife. She died in 1894, at the age of fifty-one years. Her father was Thomas Kane, a native of county Water-ford, Ireland, and who emigrated to Canada about 1836, settling on Howe Island, where he was a farmer. His wife was Catharine (Powers) Kane, and they had a family of twelve children. John and Mary Cox had thirteen children in their family, and nine are still living, as follows: Kate, the wife of W. J. Collins, of Hillsville, Pennsylvania; Lawrence, of Hammond; Maggie, the wife of R. J. Patterson, of Danville, Connecticut; Matthew J., of Ontario, Canada; Miss Marian, a teacher of Howe Island, Ontario; John, of Scranton, Pennsylvania; Miss Lillian, of Montreal, Quebec; Agnes, the wife of William Beaubien, of Howe Island; and Vincent, of Hillsville, Pennsylvania. Mr. Lawrence Cox was reared on his father's farm to the age of fourteen years. He received his education in the district schools, the Kingston Collegiate Institute, and also in the night school of the Dominion Business College at Kingston. He was a bookkeeper for a time, and in 1884 made a trip to the United States. In 1888 he came to Hammond as his permanent location. He was first employed with the G. H. Hammond & Company for two years, and from 1891 to February, 1897, was in the fire and life insurance business. At the latter date he became deputy sheriff under B. F. Hayes, and then held the same position under the latters successor until May 1, 1901, which was the date of his appointment to the office of superintendent of the Metropolitan police, which office he has filled to the eminent satisfaction of all concerned for the past three years. August 8, 1899, Mr. Cox married Mrs. Mary Nelson, the widow of R. H. Nelson and a daughter of William W. Reece and Anna E. (Dowdigan) Reece. Her parents were pioneers of the Calumet river region, and for many years were the only residents between the Indiana state line and South Chicago. Mrs. Cox is their only child, and her father died when she was about three years old, but her mother still lives and makes her home with Mrs. Cox. She has considerable property interests in Chicago. Mrs. Cox had two children by her former marriage, Alfaretta and Mae. Mr. and Mrs. Cox are members of the Catholic church, and he affiliates with the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and is also a charter member of the Hammond Club. His politics are Republican. He owns his nice home at 517 South Hohman street, and he and his wife have hosts of friends in the city and vicinity. Additional Comments: Extracted from: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF Genealogy and Biography OF LAKE COUNTY, INDIANA, WITH A COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY 1834—1904 A Record of the Achievements of Its People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Founding of a Nation. REV. T. H. BALL OF CROWN POINT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ILLUSTRATED CHICAGO NEW YORK THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY 1904 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/in/lake/bios/cox415gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/infiles/ File size: 4.8 Kb