William Wesley Cox, February 5, 1865 (Effingham, Ill.) — October 29, 1948 (St. Louis, Mo.)
VP candidate for Socialist Labor Party (1904)
Running mate with nominee: Charles Hunter Corregan (1860-1946)
Popular vote: 33,454 (0.25%)
Electoral vote: 0/476
The campaign:
The Socialist Labor Party platform of 1904 was a short document serving more as a general mission statement rather than providing details on specific policies. An example: "We hold that the existing contradiction between the theory of democratic government and the fact of a despotic economic system of the private ownership of the natural and social opportunities divides the people into two classes, the Capitalist Class and the Working Class; throws society into the convulsions of the Class Struggle, and perverts Government to the exclusive benefit of the Capitalist Class."
VP candidate Cox "spent 5 months in Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Missouri, speaking every evening in open air."
SLP's sectarian leader Daniel De Leon, known for not suffering fools gladly, praised the Corregan/Cox ticket--"A vote under the Arm and Hammer of the Socialist Labor Party, a vote for Corregan and Cox and the S.L.P. ticket straight, is a vote that will help to clear the path of the capitalist and fakir vermin that now clogs Labor’s progress and renders the progress backward."
Corregan/Cox were on the ballot in 18 states but only cracked 1% with Washington State (1.10%).
Election history:
1898 - US House of Representatives (Ill.) (Socialist Labor Party) - defeated
1900 - Lt. Governor of Illinois (Socialist Labor Party) - defeated
1902 - US House of Representatives (Ill.) (Socialist Labor Party) - defeated
1914 - US House of Representatives (Mo.) (Socialist Labor Party) - defeated
1916 - Missouri Secretary of State (Socialist Labor Party) - defeated
1918 - US Senate (Mo.) (Socialist Labor Party) - defeated
1920 - US President (Socialist Labor Party) - defeated
1922 - US Senate (Mo.) (Socialist Labor Party) - defeated
1924 - Governor of Missouri (Socialist Labor Party) - defeated
1926 - US Senate (Mo.) (Socialist Labor Party) - defeated
1928 - US Senate (Mo.) (Socialist Labor Party) - defeated
1930 - Missouri State Senate (Socialist Labor Party) - defeated
1932 - Governor of Missouri (Socialist Labor Party) - defeated
1934 - US Senate (Mo.) (Socialist Labor Party) - defeated
1936 - Governor of Missouri (Socialist Labor Party) - defeated
1940 - Governor of Missouri (Socialist Labor Party) - defeated
1944 - US Senate (Mo.) (Socialist Labor Party) - defeated
Other occupations: coal miner, brick-maker, Methodist/Church of God/Christian Church preacher, interior decorator
Buried: Sunset Memorial Park and Mausoleum (Affton, Mo.)
Notes:
Member of ACLU
In his 1934 race for the US Senate he was defeated by Harry Truman.
Lived in Collinsville, Ill. in 1904.
PoliticalGraveyard.com includes Cox in the category of "Politicans Who Lost The Most Elections"
Became an agnostic and joined the SLP in 1898
Died at his home as a result of a fall.
