[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 82 (Thursday, June 12, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO MINNIE COX

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 12, 1997

  Mr. THOMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the late 
Mrs. Minnie Cox. Mrs. Cox was one of only five African-Americans in 
Mississippi to supervise a third-class postal facility.
  In 1891, Mrs. Cox, was appointed Postmistress of the Indianola Post 
Office in Indianola, MI, by President Benjamin Harrison. Mrs. Cox 
served at this position until 1893, only later to regain the post in 
1897. Being a person of color, Mrs. Cox's appointment was followed by 
scrutiny and criticisms not because of her performance, but because of 
the color of her skin. Mrs. Cox dedicated her life to making sure that 
the people in Indianola received their mail on a timely basis. She 
worked 7 days a week and she even paid the rent for delinquent boxes to 
avoid harassment of her customers.
  Mrs. Cox held this position during a time when it was not popular to 
have African-Americans in an authoritative position. She was an 
educated, aspiring, and inspiring woman during her time. Along with 
being a Postmistress, Mrs. Cox and her husband started one of the first 
African-American-owned banks in the Mississippi Delta as well as one of 
the first African-American-owned insurance agencies in the South. In 
1904, the Cox's organized the Delta Penn Savings Bank. Four years 
later, the couple organized the Mississippi Beneficial Insurance Co., 
which had an income of more than $500,000 and a staff of 400 employees. 
During the 1910's and 1920's, she was reputed to be one of the richest 
African-American women in the world.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you to join me in saluting Mrs. Cox for her 
courage to take her place in society as a trailblazer and role model 
for many future generations of African-Americans.

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