Hiram Cox

Captain Hiram Cox (1760–1799) was a British diplomat, serving in Bengal and Burma in the 18th century. The city of Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh is named after him.[1][2]

Biography

As an officer of the East India Company, Cox was appointed Superintendent of Palongkee outpost after Warren Hastings became Governor of Bengal. Cox was specially mobilised to deal with a century-long conflict between Arakan refugees and local Rakhains (see Rakhine State).[3] He embarked upon the task of rehabilitating refugees in the area and made significant progress. Cox died in 1799 before he could finish his work.[4] To commemorate his role in rehabilitation work, a market was established and named after him: Cox's Bazar ("Cox's Market").[5]

Cox was a member of the Asiatic Society, contributing scholarly articles on Asian culture to its journal Asiatic Researches. He is most noted for his long-debunked theory of the origin of chess as a four-player game, known as the Cox–Forbes theory.[6]

Family

Cox married Mary Fraser, daughter of Andrew Fraser of Inverness. Their son Henry Chambers Murray Cox was born in Calcutta in 1789.[7] An officer of the Bengal Army, he was promoted to the rank of general in 1871, and died in 1876.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ G. P. Ramachandra (September 1981). "Captain Hiram Cox's Mission to Burma, 1796-1798: A Case of Irrational Behaviour in Diplomacy". Journal of Southeast Asian Studies. 12 (2). Cambridge University Press: 433–451. doi:10.1017/S0022463400009966. JSTOR 20070440. S2CID 162684044.
  2. ↑ Jerdan, William; Workman, William Ring; Arnold, Frederick; Morley, John; Goodwin, Charles Wycliffe (1842-08-07). Literary Gazette and Journal of Belles Lettres, Arts, Sciences, Volume 8. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  3. ↑ Hiram Cox, Journal of a Residence in the Burmhan Empire, London, 1821 (reprinted Gregg International, Farnborough, England, 1971, nb, Preface, pp.vii-viii ).
  4. ↑ The Morning Post and The Star (London), 3 March; The Morning Herald (London), 8 May; The Oracle (London), 16 June; The Star (London), 20 June 1800.
  5. ↑ "Captain Hiram Cox 1760-1799. Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh". Bangladesh Unlocked (Blog). 2010-09-06. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  6. ↑ Duncan Forbes (linguist) (1860). The History of Chess. Wm H Allen & Co. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  7. ↑ Harfield, A. G. (1995). Bencoolen: A History of the Honourable East India Company's Garrison on the West Coast of Sumatra (1685-1825). A and J Partnership. p. 345. ISBN 978-0-9516065-2-0.
  8. ↑ Hodson, V. C. P. (1927). List of the officers of the Bengal Army 1758-1834. Vol. 1. London: Constable. p. 399.
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