Scott County Arkansas Biographies

Waldron News
11 March 1976
The Scott County Bicentennial Committee Salutes:
James Berry Cox

James Berry Cox, father of George Tipton Cox of Dallas, Texas; Emmett Cox, J.B. Cox, Jr., and Mrs. Bessie Elliott all of Waldron, was born in Alabama October 17, 1870. he died January 25, 1951. He attended Hendrix Academy when it was located at Altus, Arkansas, before being moved to Conway. In 1895 he was married to Samantha Elizabeth Davenport of Weeks, Arkansas. he was at one time associated with his brother, Dr. G. Cox, in a drug store at Heavener, Okla. After this he taught school in Scott County, Arkansas for several years during the winter months and did bookkeeping for saw mills in the summer. Before entering the newspaper business, he was serving as Scott County surveyor. In 1914 he purchased the weekly newspaper in Scott County, The Advance Reporter, and served as editor and operator of the printing company for 36 years. He lived in Scott County 73 years and was a justice of the peace 27 years. He was a member of the Board of Stewards of the Methodist Church. Mr. Cox was a man of "letters" and an avid reader. One of his friends, Mr. Tommy Lorenzo, stated that he and Mr. Cox "sat them all down" in a spelling bee held in the courthouse. He was also good at solving difficult mathematical and college algebra problems. Mr. John Black, now deceased, friend of Mr. Cox, stated that Mr. Cox could always predict accurately the winning candidate of a presidential election. At the time of his death he still possessed a gold watch presented to him years before as a reward for answering questions in his Sunday School class taught by Mrs. Charley Forrester.