Cox clerked for Judge Herbert Choy, a judge on the US Court of Appeals, from 1977-1978. Afterwards, Cox joined the firm of Latham & Watkins and eventually made partner there. He was in charge of the corporate department in the Orange County, California, offices of Latham when he was tapped for his first government position. Cox joined the Reagan Administration from 1986-1988, when he was Senior Associate Counsel to President Reagan. While he was there, Cox worked for another man much in the news recently: Arthur Culvahouse, who chaired Senator John McCain's vice presidential search. Culvahouse was Cox's boss as White House Counsel.
Cox was elected to Congress in 1988 as a representative for Orange County, California. He won reelection eight more times, until he became SEC chairman.
While Cox was in Congress, he was a prominent member of the Republican leadership, known for his reports on Chinese espionage and other national security matters. He has served on many budget and export committees. He is also known for his Internet Tax Freedom Act, which allows commerce on the Internet to be (usually) sales tax-free. The act helped to jumpstart much of the commerce on the Internet. Cox is also known for his hardline stance on security issues, especially with respect to homeland security.
Commissioner Cox is now at the eye of the financial world's meltdown and is looked to by some to provide stability in these times, although Senator McCain recently said that if he were president he would fire Cox for his failures relating to the current crisis.
Cox has a wife, Rebecca, and three children. Other interesting facts about Commissioner Cox include his recovery from paralysis, his recovery from cancer, and his appearance on a TV game show in the 1980s, where he won over $5,000.
