Percy Cox

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Percy Cox bigraphy, stories - British Indian Army general

Percy Cox : biography

20 November 1864 – 20 February 1937

Major-General Sir Percy Zachariah Cox, GCMG, GCIE, KCSI (20 November 1864 – 20 February 1937) was a British Indian Army officer and colonial administrator in the Middle 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).

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.Bell. 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."First Meeting of the Political Committee. 12 March 1921." Proc. of Conference on Middle Eastern Affairs, Cairo. 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.”Bell. 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,Townsend, John. "Some Reflections on the Life and Career of Sir Percy Cox, G.C.M.G., G.C.I.E., K.C.S.I." Asian Affairs 24 (1993). upon which event the provisional cabinet formed by Cox resigned.Bell. 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.

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 Coxs’ only son, Derek, was killed in action in 1917 (although he left a son)Sir Percy Cox’s obituary, The Times, 22 February 1937 and their only daughter died at birth.

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.Tripp, Charles. A History of Iraq. 3rd ed. (New York: Cambridge UP, 2007) 44. Later, reflecting on Britain’s new policy and the difficulties involved, Cox wrote to the mother of Gertrude Bell, 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.Bell, Gertrude. The Letters of Gertrude Bell. Ed. Lady Bell. Vol. 2. New York: Boni And Liveright, 1927. Project Gutenberg Australia. Sept. 2004. . 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.Simon, Reeva S., and Eleanor H. Tejirian, eds. Creation of Iraq, 1914-1921. (New York: Columbia UP, 2004) 31. The satisfactory functioning of this interim government allowed Cox to attend the Cairo Conference, convened by the new Colonial Secretary Winston Churchill in 1921.Bell.