‘A quiet, Christian man who led by example’: Former state Rep. Don Cox dies

Former state Rep. Don Cox, a man described as a humble servant by his fellow lawmakers, died Sunday at his home in Colfax. He was 85.

“He was a quiet, Christian man who led by example,” said state Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, who served with Cox in the House of Representatives. “He was one of the finest public servants I ever knew from the Legislature, education, and his faith. He was very active in his church.”

A 1957 graduate of North Central High School and an alumnus of Whitworth University, Cox also earned a doctorate degree at Washington State University before his time in the state Capitol.

Cox was first appointed to the House in 1999 to represent the 9th Legislative District in southeastern Washington, a position he did not seek, according to Schoesler. With an open seat ahead of the 1999 session, Cox attended a meeting for candidates seeking to fill the role to provide input on the characteristics a legislator should possess. Once there, Cox was told that only those vying for the seat could speak, sparking his candidacy.

“He didn’t seek this,” Schoesler said. “But those making the choice sought him.”

Once appointed, Cox successfully ran for election in 2000, 2002 and 2004 before deciding not to seek re-election in 2006. Cox was called back to the Legislature in 2009 to fill the remainder of state Rep. Steve Hailey’s term after he died shortly before the session began.

While Cox didn’t initially seek to serve in the Legislature, Schoesler said, “it really didn’t take him very long to catch on.”

“He was the most knowledgeable expert on K-12 that ever served in Olympia, in my opinion,” Schoesler said. “But the beauty of Don Cox was that he didn’t have to tell you he was the smartest one in the room; you just knew it. Some people tell you how smart they are, but Don didn’t have to.”

A Republican, Schoesler said Cox was not “especially partisan.”

“He could work with people, talk with them,” Schoesler said. “He just had that knack for working with people.”

Back home in the 9th district, Cox served as the superintendent of the Colfax School District in the 1990s, a role Schoesler said both aided his work in Olympia and efforts to teach other school administrators. In total, Cox worked in K-12 education for 36 years.

“He trained a generation of school administrators. He made the next generation of school administrators understand the legislative process and how it affected them,” Schoesler said.

Cox additionally served as a Trustee for Spokane Community Colleges and as a commissioner for the Port of Whitman.

A memorial service is planned for Saturday at the First Baptist Church in Colfax.