- Repository
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ULS Archives & Special Collections
- Title
- James R. Cox Papers
- Creator
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Cox, James R., 1886-1951
- Collection Number
- AIS.1969.05
- Date
- 1904-1950
- Extent
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4.38 linear feet
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- Abstract
- James R. Cox, a son of a Pittsburgh millworker, was a Pittsburgh Catholic priest and a political and social activist. The collection contains Father Cox's diary (1904), scrapbooks of newspaper clippings (1923-1951), 426 photographs, and 28 audio cassettes of radio broadcasts, sermons, and hymns (1944-50). Digital reproductions of the collection are available
online.
Preferred Citation
James R. Cox Papers, 1923-1950, AIS.1969.05, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
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Biography
James R. Cox was born in 1886. He was a Pittsburgh Catholic priest, political and social activist, and the son of a millworker. During the Depression he organized a food-relief program and helped the homeless and unemployed find shelter. In January 1932 Cox led a march of 15,000-20,000 unemployed Pennsylvanians to Washington, D.C. He hoped that a demonstration of the unemployed in Washington would stir Congress to start a public works program. This did not happen at the time, but the march sparked the formation of the Jobless Party in Pittsburgh. The Jobless Party supported government public works and labor unions, and spread to other major cities. James Cox became the Jobless Party's first presidential candidate but in September 1932 Cox pulled out of the election giving his support to the Democratic ticket and Franklin Roosevelt. This effectively led to the demise of the Jobless Party.
After the presidential election of 1932 Cox continued his relief work and was a member of the Pennsylvania Commission for the Unemployed. In the mid-thirties Roosevelt appointed him to the state recovery board of the National Recovery Administration. James Cox became known as Pittsburgh's "Pastor of the Poor."
For information on Cox's presidential campaign see Andrew I. Krupnick's "Father Cox's Campaign for the Presidency of the United States [in 1932; a diary]." (ais MS 5)
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Scope and Content Notes
The James R. Cox Papers include a diary (1904), scrapbooks of newspaper clippings (1923-1951), 426 photographs, and 28 audiocassettes of radio broadcasts, sermons, and hymns (1944-50).
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Administrative Information
Publication Information
ULS Archives & Special Collections, 1969
University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
412-648-3232 (ASC) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman)
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
Revision Description
Converted from EAD Version 1.0 to EAD Version 2002 July 1, 2006
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Copyright
Permission for publication is given on behalf of the University of Pittsburgh as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Mrs. Earl J. Cox, sister-in-law of Father James Cox, February 21, 1969.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Archives Service Center Staff in 1969.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Kate Colligan on September 29, 1999 and Dan Horvath on May 20, 2004. Information about the collection title and the controlled access terms was extracted from the MARC record in the University of Pittsburgh catalog Voyager ID number: 1403450
Existence and Location of Copies
Digital reproductions from this collection are available at
http://historicpittsburgh.org/collection/father-cox-papers.
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Controlled Access Headings
Corporate Name(s)
- Jobless Party (Pittsburgh, Pa.).
Geographic Name(s)
- Pittsburgh (Pa.) -- Economic conditions
- United States -- Politics and government -- 1929-1933
Personal Name(s)
Subject(s)
- Depressions -- 1929 -- United States
- Labor
- Personal papers
- Priests -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- Social action
- Unemployed -- Pennsylvania -- Allegheny County
- Unemployed -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
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Previous Citation
James R. Cox Papers, 1923-1950, AIS.1969.05, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
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Collection Inventory
Series I. Diary and Manuscripts, 1904-1936
Scope and Content Notes
Series I contains a diary, transcript of an interview, manuscript, and certificates.
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| Folder | | Interview with Father Cox, 1936 | 2 |
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| Folder | |
The Holy Land Pictures - Manuscript to accompany travel film, no date | 3 |
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Series II. Newspaper Clipping Scrapbooks, 1923-1973
Scope and Content Notes
Series II includes photocopies of clippings pertaining to Father Cox, the Jobless Party, Marches, Pilgrimages, and other events. Also included are articles written about Father Cox and his various causes.
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| Folder | | October 7, 1924-December 31, 1925 | 6 |
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| Folder | |
The Odyssey of Pittsburgh's Father Cox, 1973 | 2 |
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| Folder | |
Father Cox's Own Story of Jobless March to Capital, c. 1920's | 3 |
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| Folder | | Original Scrapbooks | 4 |
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Series III. St. Patrick's Church, 1925-1934
Scope and Content Notes
Series III includes a journal and a bulletin from St. Patrick's Church, Pittsburgh, PA.
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| Folder | | Clothes Room Journal, 1932-1934 | 5 |
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| Folder | | Bulletin, 1925-1926 | 6 |
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Series IV. Photographs 1923-1950
Scope and Content Notes
Series IV consists of 426 photographs of Father Cox, his family, groups of people, pilgrimages, and other scenes. They are arranged by subject.
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| Folder | | Great Depression | 5 |
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| Folder | | Funeral Procession (not Father Cox's) | 6 |
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| Folder | | Old St. Patrick's | 9 |
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| Folder | | Miscellaneous Group Photos | 13 |
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Series V. Oversized Items
Scope and Content Notes
Series V consists of oversized items including large photographic prints, newspaper clippings, pastel drawings, and sketches of Father Cox, church services, baseball teams, and various groups of people.
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| Map-case | | Oversized Items | 7-1 |
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Series VI. Audiocassettes, 1944-1950
Scope and Content Notes
Series VI consists of 28 audiocassettes, copied from phonodiscs, of radio broadcasts, sermons, and hymns given by Father Cox. Some of the cassettes do not have titles and are listed only by date.
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| Cassette | | October 16, 1944 | 3 |
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| Cassette | | October 16, 1944; October 23, 1944 | 4 |
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| Cassette | | October 23, 1944 | 5 |
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| Cassette | |
Sermon for November 21, November 15, 1944 | 6 |
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| Cassette | | December 11, 1944 | 7 |
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| Cassette | | January 8, 1945 | 8 |
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| Cassette | | "Do Not Play on Air", no date | 9 |
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| Cassette | | June 13, 1950 | 10 |
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| Cassette | | July 17, 1945 | 15 |
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| Cassette | |
State Guard, June 11, 1945 | 16 |
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| Cassette | |
Gossiptown, June 11, 1945 | 16 |
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| Cassette | |
Sermon for July 12 and
Sermon for July 14, no date | 17 |
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| Cassette | |
Why Pilgrimages and
Friends on Pilgrimages, no date | 18 |
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| Cassette | |
Announcements, no date | 19 |
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| Cassette | | January 23, 1947 | 20-21 |
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| Cassette | |
Indiantown Gap, May 28, 1945 | 23 |
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| Cassette | | August 5, 1948 | 25 |
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| Cassette | |
Interviewing Hildegarde, no date | 25 |
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| Cassette | | August 5, 1948; July 15, 1948 | 26 |
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| Cassette | | July 15, 1948 | 27 |
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| Cassette | |
25th Anniversary Broadcast, WJAS, November 22, 1950 | 28 |
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