Cox, George Barnsdale

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George Barnsdale Cox, 1853–1916, American politician, Republican boss of Cincinnati, b. Cincinnati. A former bootblack, he turned to real estate and local politics after selling his saloon in 1881. Cox acquired political control of the city in 1886 and held power till 1911, except for defeats in 1897 and 1905. His machine, in other hands, won again in 1913.