Charles Cox was Chairman of the Western Australian Turf Club from 1908 to 1919.
Charles Cox was Chairman of the Western Australian Turf Club from 1908 to 1919 and it was during his lengthy tenure the Racing Restriction Act 1917 became law, a piece of legislation that effectively established the WATC as the controlling authority for thoroughbred racing in the state.
Born in South Australia in 1863, Cox followed in the footsteps of his solicitor father, Richard, and he was called to the Bar of SA in 1896, shortly before he moved to WA. Cox found work in an Albany legal practice and, after becoming a partner of that firm, he started his connection with its Perth office. A star rower in his youth, Cox was as a zealous lover of clean sport, while one of his many racing achievements was to stop the duplication of horse names across state borders. Cox died in 1919 aged 56 after failing to survive surgery on his appendix.