James Cox was a merchant and political figure in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

. He represented Shelburne County in the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia from 1799 to 1805.

A loyalist, he came to Nova Scotia from Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

, settling in Shelburne

Shelburne, Nova Scotia

Shelburne is a town located in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the shire town of Shelburne County.-History:-Settlers:...

 around 1792. Cox was married twice: first to Elizabeth and then to Margaret Sorrel in 1799. He served as a justice of the peace

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

. With George Gracie

George Gracie (politician)

George Gracie was a Scottish-born merchant, shipowner and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Shelburne County in the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia from 1798 to 1806....

, he was co-owner of the privateer

Privateer

A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...

 ship Nelson. Cox apparently returned to New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 sometime between September 1803 and November 1805.

His grandson George A. Cox also served in the assembly.