William John Ellis Cox
26th Governor of Tasmania
In office 15 December 2004 – INCUMBENT
Preceded by	Richard Butler
Born	April 1 1936 (1936--) (age 71) Hobart, Tasmania  Australia
Spouse	Jocelyn Cox

The Hon. William John Ellis Cox AC RFD ED QC (born April 1 1936, Hobart, Tasmania) has been Governor of Tasmania since 15 December 2004, prior to which he was the state's Chief Justice and Lieutenant Governor.

Born to the Hon William Ellis Cox CBE MC (d. 1970) and Alice Mary Mulcahy Cox (d. 1983), William John Ellis Cox was educated at St. Virgil's College, Hobart, Xavier College, Melbourne and the University of Tasmania.

He graduated from the University of Tasmania (BA, LLB) in 1960 and was admitted to the Bar, in the Supreme Court of Tasmania in March 1960. He was appointed a magistrate in 1976, and became a Queen's Counsel in 1978, during his term as the State's Crown Advocate (equivalent to Director of Public Prosecutions).

He was appointed to the Supreme Court of Tasmania in 1982, and was the state's Chief Justice from 1995 until 2004. He was also appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania. In 1999, Bill Cox was made a Companion of the Order of Australia. He already held the Reserve Force Decoration (RFD) and the Army's Efficiency Decoration (ED) for service in the Royal Tasmania Regiment, including service in Vietnam.

In August 2004, he became acting Governor upon the resignation of the disgraced Richard Butler, and in November the Premier, Paul Lennon, announced that he had advised the Queen to appoint Cox as Governor of Tasmania. Cox is only the second Tasmanian-born Governor in the state's history. The first was Sir Guy Green.

Cox is an Honorary Colonel of the Royal Tasmania Regiment and an Honorary Air Commodore of the RAAF No. 29 (City of Hobart) Squadron.

Family

William Cox and his wife Jocelyn have three children.

Links

• Biography

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