Percy Zachariah Cox - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Major-General Sir Percy Zachariah Cox, GCMG

Order of St Michael and St George

The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....

, GCIE

Order of the Indian Empire

The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...

, KCSI

Order of the Star of India

The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...

(20 November 1864 – 20 February 1937) was a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

Indian Army

British Indian Army

The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...

officer and colonial administrator in the Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, he was one of the major figures in the creation of Iraq. He was commonly known as Coccus (and as Kokkus to the Arabs).

Family and early life

Cox was born in Harwood Hall, Herongate

Herongate

Herongate is a village in south Essex, situated on the A128 road between Brentwood and West Horndon....

, Essex

Essex

Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...

, the son of Arthur Zachariah and Julienne Emily Cox. He was educated initially at Harrow School

Harrow School

Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...

where he developed interests in natural history, geography, and travel. In February 1884 the bookish Cox, being his father's third son and therefore without significant inheritance, joined the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and was commissioned as Lieutenant

Lieutenant

A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...

in the Cameronians in February 1884, joining their 2nd Battalion in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. In November 1889 he transferred to the Bengal Staff Corps. On 14 November 1889 he married the later known as Dame Belle Cox, later promoted to be a D.B.E., née Louisa Belle Hamilton, daughter of Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

born Surgeon-General Sir John Butler Hamilton, (1838 - 1902).

British Somaliland and Muscat (1893-1903)

After holding minor administrative appointments in Kolhapur and Savantvadi in India, Cox was posted to British Somaliland

British Somaliland

British Somaliland was a British protectorate in the northern part of present-day Somalia. For much of its existence, British Somaliland was bordered by French Somaliland, Ethiopia, and Italian Somaliland. From 1940 to 1941, it was occupied by the Italians and was part of Italian East Africa...

, which was then administered from India, as Assistant Political Resident at Zeila

Zeila

Zeila, also known as Zaila , is a port city on the Gulf of Aden coast, situated in the northwestern Awdal region of Somalia.Located near the Djibouti border, the town sits on a sandy spit surrounded by the sea. It is known for its offshore islands, coral reef and mangroves. Landward, the terrain is...

. He transferred to Berbera

Berbera

Berbera is a city and seat of Berbera District in Somaliland, a self-proclaimed Independent Republic with de facto control over its own territory, which is recognized by the international community and the Somali Government as a part of Somalia...

in 1894. He was promoted to Captain in February 1895. In May 1895 he was given command of an expedition against the Red Hared clan, which had blocked trade routes and was raiding the coast. With only 52 Indian and Somali regulars and 1,500 poor quality, untrained local irregulars, he defeated the Red Hared in six weeks. Later that year, he was promoted to be assistant to the Viceroy's agent in Baroda.

In October 1899, Cox was appointed Political Agent and Consul

Consul

Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...

at Muscat

Muscat, Oman

Muscat is the capital of Oman. It is also the seat of government and largest city in the Governorate of Muscat. As of 2008, the population of the Muscat metropolitan area was 1,090,797. The metropolitan area spans approximately and includes six provinces called wilayats...

, inheriting a tense situation between the British, who regarded the area as under their influence, Sultan Feisal

Faisal bin Turki, Sultan of Muscat and Oman

Sayyid Faisal bin Turki, GCIE , historic spelling Fessul bin Turkee, ruled as Sultan of Muscat and Oman from June 4, 1888 - October 15, 1913. He succeeded his father Turki bin Said as Sultan...

, the local ruler, and the French, who gave protection to the local slave trade (which the British opposed) and had leased a coaling station from Feisal for their navy

French Navy

The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...

. Cox managed to successfully end French influence in the area. When Lord Curzon

George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston

George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, KG, GCSI, GCIE, PC , known as The Lord Curzon of Kedleston between 1898 and 1911 and as The Earl Curzon of Kedleston between 1911 and 1921, was a British Conservative statesman who was Viceroy of India and Foreign Secretary...

, then Viceroy of India, visited Muscat in 1903, he judged that Cox virtually ran the place. Cox was promoted to the rank of Major

Major

Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

in February 1902.

The Persian Gulf (1904-1919)

In June 1904, Cox was appointed Acting Political Resident in the Persian Gulf

Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...

and Consul-General for the Persian provinces of Fars, Lurestan and Khuzestan and the district of Lingah, residing in the Persian side of the gulf at the city of Bushire. Five years later he was confirmed as Resident, a post which he occupied highly successfully until 1914, when he was appointed Secretary to the Government of India

British Raj

British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...

. Among his achievements while at Bushire was the establishment of the state of Kuwait

Kuwait

The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...

as an autonomous kaza within the Ottoman Empire

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

by the Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913

Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913

The Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913 was an agreement between the Ottoman Porte and the British Government defining the limits of Ottoman jurisdiction in the area of the Persian Gulf with respect to Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the Shatt al-‘Arab...

. He was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in February 1910. Shortly after his return to India, he was sent back to the Persian Gulf as Chief Political Officer with the Indian Expeditionary Force to fight against the Ottoman Empire during WWI. Taking part in the campaigns in Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...

and Palestine

Palestine

Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....

, he was promoted to Honorary Major-General in May 1917. During this time he established strong relations with Ibn Saud, the powerful ruler of the Nejd, with whom he had already had dealings while Resident. At the end of hostilities with the Ottoman Empire in November 1918, Cox was appointed Acting Minister

Diplomatic rank

Diplomatic rank is the system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. Over time it has been formalized on an international basis.-Ranks:...

in Tehran

Tehran

Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...

, negotiating the Anglo-Persian Agreement

Anglo-Persian Agreement

The Anglo-Persian Agreement was a document involving Great Britain and Persia and centered around drilling rights of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. It was never ratified by the Majlis. This "agreement" was issued by British Foreign Secretary Earl Curzon to the Persian government in August of 1919...

Appointment as High Commissioner of Iraq and Iraqi Revolt (1920)

Following the Iraqi Revolt of 1920, British colonial administrators felt a more effective and cheaper method to rule the area would be to create an Iraqi government in which British influence was less visible. It was in this environment that Percy Cox took up residence in Baghdad as the first High Commissioner under the Iraq Mandate. Later, reflecting on Britain’s new policy and the difficulties involved, Cox wrote to the mother of Gertrude Bell

Gertrude Bell

Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell, CBE was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, and archaeologist who explored, mapped, and became highly influential to British imperial policy-making due to her extensive travels in Greater Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Arabia. Along...

The task before me was by no means an easy or attractive one. The new line of policy which I had come to inaugurate involved a complete and necessarily rapid transformation of the facade of the existing administration from British to Arab and, in the process, a wholesale reduction in the numbers of British and British-Indian personnel employed.

Acting as High Commissioner, Cox collaborated with former Ottoman officials and tribal, sectarian, and religious leaders and oversaw the creation of a largely Arab provisional government, or “Council of State,” with the purpose of seeing the nascent country through the turbulent period following the revolt. Cox selected as president the (Sunni) religious leader Abd al-Rahman al- Kaylani, the Naqib of Baghdad. Council members were culled from local elites whom Cox felt could be relied upon to support the British agenda. The satisfactory functioning of this interim government allowed Cox to attend the Cairo Conference, convened by the new Colonial Secretary Winston Churchill in 1921.

The 1921 Cairo Conference and the Crowning of King Faisal

Among the points Cox considered salient coming into the 1921 Cairo Conference were the reduction of British spending in Iraq and the selection of a ruler for the country. To satisfy the first item, Cox proposed a plan to immediately cut expenditure and withdraw troops from Mesopotamia. On the question of who should rule Iraq, Cox considered the best option to be one of the sons of the Sherif of Mecca, with whom the British had a special relationship during the war due to promises made during the McMahon–Hussein Correspondence. At the conference, the Sherif’s son Faisal emerged as the preferred choice, with Cox noting that Faisal’s military experience in the First World War as well as his vast political skills made him the most qualified to raise an army and rule Iraq effectively. Cox would later write that the decision in favor of Faisal was “easiest to arrive at . . . by the process of elimination,” reasoning that local candidates for the throne would split the support of the major parties in Iraq while Faisal, as a result of his experience and his respected family name, would enjoy the “general if not the universal support of inhabitants.” After arranging an election of sorts of Faisal's asking, Cox would go on to proclaim Faisal as King of Iraq on 23 August 1921 in Baghdad, upon which event the provisional cabinet formed by Cox resigned. For his remaining years as the High Commissioner of Iraq, Cox continued to greatly influence Iraqi government and events in the country, using his power behind the throne to advise and pressure Faisal when necessary.

Remaining Term as High Commissioner of Iraq (1922-1923)

On 23 August 1922, King Faisal was struck with appendicitis and rendered unable to rule for several weeks. At this moment, a debate was raging over the nature and extent of British control over Iraqi affairs through treaty obligations. In perhaps the boldest action of his political career, Cox seized control and instituted direct British rule. Cox, in effect, became acting King of Iraq and undertook such measures as jailing and transporting those hostile to foreign intervention; silencing opposition parties and media; and even ordering the bombing of tribal insurgents. Interpretation of these events varies greatly depending on the source: John Townsend writes that Cox’s actions “demonstrated British infallibility, illusory though it might have been” and that what transpired amounted to “perhaps [Cox’s] greatest single achievement.” Ahmad Shikara is not as kind, calling Cox’s measures “severe and unpopular” and noting that Faisal himself held “strong objections to the High Commissioner’s actions.” Cox’s own account conflicts, as he writes that not only were his actions necessary for the stability of the state, but that Faisal, upon recovery, “thanked me cordially for the action taken during the interregnum.” Whatever the case, Cox’s actions succeeded in preserving the status quo for the British, and Faisal resumed his rule in September.

The remainder of Cox’s term as High Commissioner was spent negotiating the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty

Anglo-Iraqi Treaty

The Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1921 was an agreement signed by the governments of the United Kingdom and the government of Iraq. The treaty was designed to allow locals a limited share in power while allowing the British to control foreign and military policy...

, years 1921 and 1922. Faisal’s objection to the British Mandate of Iraq and his insistence on formal independence necessitated a fine diplomatic touch. Britain wished to keep its interests alive in Iraq while at the same time appearing to have no control over its government. To this end, Cox negotiated the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty, which forced many of the original terms of the Mandate system on Iraq but which avoided the term “mandate” and granted British protection to Faisal against rivals such as Ibn Saud. This treaty was signed 10 October 1922; shortly thereafter, Cox utilized his good relationship with Ibn Saud to establish the boundaries between the Saudi kingdom, Iraq, and Kuwait in order to ensure that Britain would not have to defend Iraq from the Saudis.

In her letters, the famed adventurer, archaeologist, and author Gertrude Bell

Gertrude Bell

writes of the effectiveness of Cox’s diplomacy: “Ibn Saud is convinced that the future of himself and his country depends on our goodwill and that he will never break with us. In point of fact the treaty is on exactly the lines that Sir Percy stipulated.” This was to be Cox’s final significant act as High Commissioner of Iraq, as he retired on 4 May 1923 and was succeeded by Sir Henry Dobbs

Henry Dobbs

Sir Henry Robert Conway Dobbs, GBE, KCSI, KCMG, KCIE was an administrator in British India, he served as the Chief Commissioner of Balochistan. He later served as High Commissioner to the Kingdom of Iraq from 1923 to 1929, the longest time this position was held by anyone during the course of the...

, High Commissioner

High Commissioner

High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...

to the Kingdom of Iraq

Kingdom of Iraq

The Kingdom of Iraq was the sovereign state of Iraq during and after the British Mandate of Mesopotamia. The League of Nations mandate started in 1920. The kingdom began in August 1921 with the coronation of Faisal bin al-Hussein bin Ali al-Hashemi as King Faisal I...

till 1929, a.k.a.Sir Henry Robert Conway Dobbs, GBE

GBE

GBE or Gbe may refer to:* Gbe languages, a group of languages in West Africa* Gigabit ethernet, a term for transmitting Ethernet frames at a rate of a gigabit per second* Government business enterprise...

, KCSI

KCSI

KCSI may refer to:* Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India* KCSI-TV, a local cable television station in Jamestown, North Dakota, United States* KCSI , a radio station licensed to Red Oak, Iowa, United States...

, KCMG KCIE

KCIE

KCIE may refer to:* Knight Commander, one of the ranks of the Order of the Indian Empire* KCIE , a radio station licensed to Dulce, New Mexico, United States...

(1871-1934)

Relationship with Gertrude Bell

Throughout his career in Iraq, Cox was in close connection with his aforementioned colleague Gertrude Bell. Their relationship seems unambiguously to be one of mutual admiration and respect. In her writing, Bell describes Cox as possessing an “air of fine and simple dignity,” praising his “kindness and consideration,” and claiming that his disposition towards her amounted to “an absurd indulgence.” Bell also describes Cox’s political and diplomatic prowess, calling him “a master hand at the game of politics.” She notes the respect that he enjoyed with the peoples of Iraq and when writing about Cox’s dealings with Ibn Saud even declares, “It's really amazing that anyone should exercise influence such as his...I don't think that any European in history has made a deeper impression on the Oriental mind.” Cox, for his part, returns this respect, referring to Bell’s “indefatigable assistance” and the “great degree to which Gertrude Bell enjoyed my confidence and I her devoted co- operation . . .”

Marriage and children

Lady Cox (Belle Hamilton Cox) was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 1923 Birthday Honours.

The Cox's only son, Derek, was killed in action in 1917 (although he left a son) and their only daughter died at birth.

Retirement and Death

After Cox's departure from Baghdad, he was never again employed in any official position by the British government, but served as a delegate to several conferences. Cox devoted much of the rest of his life to the Royal Geographic Society, serving as its president from 1933 to 1936.

Sir Percy Cox died suddenly while hunting

Fox hunting

Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...

at Melchbourne

Melchbourne

Melchbourne is a small village located in the Bedford Borough of Bedfordshire, England.The village is located west of Swineshead and east of Yielden...

, Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....

, in 1937. He apparently felt ill and dismounted, collapsing on the road beside his horse; by the time he was found by another huntsman, Lord Luke

George Lawson Johnston, 1st Baron Luke

George Lawson Johnston, 1st Baron Luke, KBE , was a British businessman.Luke was the second son of John Lawson Johnston, a beef manufacturer and the founder of Bovril Ltd and Elizabeth, daughter of George Lawson, biscuit manufacturer of Edinburgh...

, he was already dead. The coroner

Coroner

A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...

recorded a verdict of heart failure.

External links

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