>> Want a quick, easy lunch? Check out Culp's Cafe
It helps tell the story of the entrepreneur, governor, newspaperman and broadcaster who put it there.
>> Throwback: Five fun facts about Governor James M. Cox
The Governor James M. Cox display opened in April with several other new displays at Carillon Historical Park, a 65-acre campus at that showcases Dayton's history of invention, transportation and early settlement.
>> WATCH: Remember when this Dayton building was blown up?
Other new displays include those on NCR's Building 26, where they developed a machine that cracked the Nazi's U-boat encryption code. Other exhibits feature artifacts from and the stories of Henny Penny Corp. and PK Lumber.
>> Where is the last fragment of NCR's famed underground Dayton tunnel system?
THE MAN BEHIND THE NAME
Brady Kress, Dayton History's CEO and president, said the name Cox is familiar to many local residents due to institutions like the James M. Cox Dayton International Airport and Cox Arboretum MetroPark, but few know the influence their namesake had on the community, state and world.
>> River Run opening pushes more change in heart of Dayton
Credit: Dayton Daily News Archive
Credit: Dayton Daily News Archive
“James Cox is one of those founding fathers (of Dayton) that no one thinks about,” Kress said.
THE NEWSMAN
Cox, a former schoolteacher and news reporter, bought the Dayton Evening News in 1898 and immediately renamed it the Dayton Daily News.
Cox Enterprises grew from there to include the Springfield Press Republic (now the Springfield News Sun), the Atlanta Journal (now the Atlanta Journal Constitution), radio stations WHIO in Dayton in 1935 followed by WSB in Atlanta in 1939, and WIOD in Miami.
WSB-TV in Atlanta became the South's first television station in 1948. WHIO-TV in Dayton went on the air for the first time later that year.
WHIO’s Wilmington Avenue studios and tower were torn down in 2012. WHIO is now housed in the Cox Media Group Ohio Center at 1611 S. Main St. in Dayton.
THE STATESMAN
Cox was Ohio’s 46th and 48th governor, serving from from 1913-1915 and 1917-1921.
Cox received the the Democratic nomination for the presidency, but lost to then-U.S. Senator Warren G. Harding, a fellow Ohioan and newspaper man, in 1920.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was Cox’s running mate.
As governor he was influential in the establishment of the Miami Conservancy District, Kress said.
>> 3 ways Miami Conservancy District is preserving our water
The district was established in 1915 as a reaction to the devastating 1913 Great Flood.
Credit: Photo by Amelia Robinson
Credit: Photo by Amelia Robinson
Kress said that Cox is a great example of the influence Daytonians had on the world.
>> Terror from the river: the flood that destroyed downtown Dayton
“I never stop learning things, because Dayton, Ohio is just amazing, Kress said. “Its impact in the state and country is just phenomenal.”
>> PHOTOS: See how this old steam plant is beginning to take on new life
>> Your guide to making the most of RiverScape River Run
Credit: Bill Simmons
Credit: Bill Simmons
About the Author
