Cox, Peter oral history interview

Authors

Mike Richard

Document Type

Oral History

Publication Date

8-23-1999

Interview Number

MOH 144

Abstract

Peter Winston Cox was born August 13, 1937 in Manhattan, New York City, New York. He competed in the national boys’ tennis championships in 1950 and 1951. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy and then Yale University, majoring in English with a concentration in Art History, in 1959. He attended Yale Law School and worked for Frank Coffin in 1960 as a driver, writing press releases and television programs. In 1961 he became editor of a daily newspaper in Saranac Lake, New York, then returned to Maine in 1965 with his wife to be editor of the Bath Daily Times, then managing editor of the Bath-Brunswick Times Record in 1967 with John Cole as editor. He started Maine Times with John Cole in 1968. He was involved in the Democratic Party’s 1972 platform committee, and was briefly on the board of the ACLU. They sold Maine Times in 1985. He has served as president of the Wolf’s Neck Farm Foundation.

Scope and Content Note

Interview includes discussions of: 1954 Maine gubernatorial campaign; environmental protection; Vietnam War; Democratic Party in Maine; media and Muskie; women’s domestic role in Washington politics (1930s); Leon Keyserling, Truman economic advisor with a four day work week; Georgetown in the 1940s and 50s as segregated, but not yet gentrified; Ben Dorsky; Democratic Party revival in Maine and platform, citizen participation, and hearings; Don Nicoll; Harold Pachios; Dick Goodwin; Dickey-Lincoln Dam project; evolution of Maine newspapers: merger between Bath Daily Times and Brunswick Record; creation of Maine Times; Maine Times one of the first all-women’s issues in the country (1970?); 1976 John Cole editorial battle against Jim Longley; ACLU and Shep Lee as the Maine representative; Louis Scolnik, Maine CLU; inner workings of the Maine Times; trend in politics from 1950s: loss of grassroots connections and loss of ability to know needs of constituents; Maine newspapers: Gannett papers were Republican in the 1960s; Democrat could not walk into Bangor Daily News without being thrown out; John Reed; Ken Curtis; and Angus King.

Use Restrictions

Copyright Bates College. This transcript is provided for individual Research Purposes Only; for all other uses, including publication, reproduction and quotation beyond fair use, permission must be obtained in writing from: The Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library, Bates College, 70 Campus Avenue, Lewiston, Maine 04240-6018.

Recommended Citation

Richard, Mike, "Cox, Peter oral history interview" (1999). Edmund S. Muskie Oral History Collection. 102.
https://scarab.bates.edu/muskie_oh/102