Ross Cox (1793–1853) was an Irish clerk in the Pacific Fur Company and the

North West Company The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what is present-day Western Canada and Northwestern Ontario. With great weal ...

, later writing of his experiences.

Life

Ross Cox was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1793, the son of Samuel Cox and Margaret Thorpe. He emigrated to

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1811, becoming a clerk in the Pacific Fur Company. He arrived in Fort Astoria in 1812, the primary station of the PFC. Due to the War of 1812 the company was liquidated and sold to the

in 1813. He then became a clerk with the North West Company, but he retired 1817 and returned to Ireland. He became the Irish correspondent for the '' London Morning Herald'' as well as a clerk in the Dublin police office. He was married to Hannah Cumming in 1819, and had several children. He died in Dublin in 1853.

Legacy

Cox's ''Adventures on the Columbia River'' (London, 1831) is one of the most important documents relating to the later history of the North West Company. Several geographic features in Canada, including Ross Cox Creek and Mount Ross Cox are named after him.

External links

The Quebec History Encyclopedia

Adventures on the Columbia River
Ross Cox. New York: 1832.
Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''

References

Irish explorers of North America Explorers of Oregon North West Company people Writers from Dublin (city) Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) 1793 births 1853 deaths {{Ireland-writer-stub