Object title	Oil painting of Jacob Dolson Cox (1828-1900)
Type (AAT)	oil paintings (visual works)
Creation date	n.d.
Creator	Cox, Kenyon (1856-1919)
Nationality	American
Description	An oil painting of Jacob Dolson Cox, painted by his son, Kenyon Cox. Jacob Dolson Cox was a lawyer, soldier, statesman and scholar. He was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and he spent his early years apprenticing in law, before deciding to enter the ministry instead. He came to Oberlin College in 1846. He 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, the eldest daughter of Oberlin's second president, Charles Grandison Finney. Helen was the widow of Oberlin Professor William Cochran. Cox had strong anti-slavery views. In 1858 he won election to the the State Senate of Ohio, and during his term allied closely with other radical anti-slavery advocates, including James A. Garfield. When the Civil War broke out, Cox was appointed a Brigadier-General of Volunteers and placed in charge of training Ohio troops. After the war he was nominated the Republican candidate for Governor of Ohio. He published his famous "Oberlin Letter" during the campaign, in which he called for the segregation of freed Negroes into a separate state and for opposition to Negro suffrage. His advocacy of forcible segregation, and his support for Andrew Johnson's position on Reconstruction resulted in his losing favor with his party. He was not re-nominated for a second term, and entered into private law practice in Cincinnati. He also made a reputation as a writer on military history, becoming one of the foremost military historians of the Civil War.
Subject	oil paintings (visual works); senators; lawyers; scholars; military historians
Dimensions	28.5 x 23.5 in. (frame); 27 x 21.5 in.(image)
Medium	oil on canvas
Repository	Oberlin College. Archives.
Collection	RG 40 Paintings, Prints, Drawings, and other Framed Items
Related materials	RG 30/003 Jacob Dolson Cox Papers, 1842-1901
OC filename	Jacob_Dolson_Cox_nd.tif
Item number	M272
Accession number	2013/019
Location	Goodrich Room cabinet 3, drawer 7
Source	Received from Julia Williams March 22, 2013. The painting belonged to Mrs. Charles Cox (sister of Julia Williams). Mrs. Cox's will stipulated that on her death, the painting should be donated to Oberlin College.
Sources Consulted	Jacob Dolson Cox Papers, 1842-1901, finding guide. Oberlin College Archives. http://www.oberlinlibstaff.com/archon/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=79 (accessed July 15, 2014).
Remarks	Wood frame, not covered. Back is painted silver, which is consistant with ICA practices, but ICA has no record.
Copyright	The photographs provided here by the Oberlin College Archives for the College Library server may be downloaded for one-time personal or classroom use, if not for financial gain. For all other users of Archives' photographs--including reproduction in a brochure, scholarly article or book, or other publication purchase (digital or otherwise)--users must seek permission from the Oberlin College Archives, 420 Mudd Center, Oberlin, Ohio 44074 (telephone 440-775-8014). Archives URL: http://www.oberlin.edu/archive/. Images from the Oberlin College Archives are protected by U.S. Copyright law.
Caption author	Diana Tebo