Philip Coxbourne
| Philip Coxbourne | |
| File:Philip Coxbourne.jpg Coxbourne in 1896 | |
| 8th President of Rio Blanco | |
|---|---|
|
In office 1 August 1904 – 1 August 1908 | |
| Prime Minister | John R. Gandley |
| Preceded by | Emmett Stagmann |
| Succeeded by | Henry Stanson |
| Constituency | El Paso |
| 3rd Governor of El Paso | |
|
In office 1 August 1894 – 1 August 1900 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Wickley |
| Succeeded by | Jared Finnell |
| Superintendent of the Home Guard Party of El Paso | |
|
In office 3 March 1890 – 31 July 1904 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Wickley |
| Succeeded by | Henry Stanson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 January 1864 Ames, Iowa, United States |
| Died | 5 May 1932 (aged 68) Denver, DCD |
| Political party | Home Guard |
| Spouse(s) | Caroline Hymann |
| Children | James Lowell, Hannah |
| Alma mater | University of Colorado Boulder |
| Profession | Lawyer, Politician |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
Philip Andrew Coxbourne (/ˈkɑzbɝn/; 24 January 1864—5 May 1932) was an American-born Rioblancoan lawyer, politician and urban planner, 8th President of Rio Blanco. He is known for designing personally the current Flag of Rio Blanco.
Biography
Coxbourne was born in Ames, Iowa to second-generation English American lawyer George Coxbourne and Elizabeth Carey. After the end of the American Civil War, he moved to Denver at the age of six, along with his family.
In 1875, angered by President Johnson's decision not to grant statehood to the Colorado Territory, his father joined the Rioblancoan Independence Congress (later the Home Guard Party); this event would shape Philip's political identity. After completing university at Colorado Boulder, Coxbourne moved to Springs and worked as a property lawyer, while also participating in local Home Guard Party seatings. He became an increasingly important figure in the local branch of the party, to the point where he was elected Superintendent, an office he would hold for fourteen years.
Governorship
Coxbourne ran for Governor of El Paso for the Home Guard Party in 1894, after winning the local primary, and was subsequently elected Governor by defeating Progressive candidate and incumbent Governor Charles Wickley. During his term, Coxbourne contributed to the creation of some villages, such as Greenhorn; he also contributed to the dominance of the Home Guard in El Paso, which still reflects partly to this day. His success in urban planning started a wave of Homeguarders being elected to high offices, lasting for about thirty years.
Presidency
Seeing his nationwide success as Governor of El Paso, Coxbourne decided to run for President of Rio Blanco in 1904. Although his initial performance was underwhelming, he managed to beat a tough competitor (an aging Hugh Carlson) during the Home Guard primary and went on to defeat Edward Lehmen (Progressive). While his presidential tenure mainly focused on what he did in El Paso, urban planning and development of rural villages, he also funded education and enacted the previously unenforced National Education Act (which made education compulsory and free of charge).
Coxbourne, aware of the fact that he also had to deal with the wave of immigration passing through Rio Blanco, often collaborated with state governments to develop a functioning housing and education plan; in 1907, he passed a law which made English the official language, while also protecting the other ones.
Coxbourne started gradually assigning the powers of the provinces to the counties, a plan that would be completed in 1932 by Henry Stanson.
Aftermath
After his term expired, Coxbourne became a full-time urban planner, working for various communities in Rio Blanco and in the United States. During his tenure as Head Planner of the town of Fountain, EP, he developed the Mecklenburg neighborhood and requalified the miner housing. He would stay in office until 1929, when he decided to retire and focus on his family.
On 3 May 1932, Coxbourne was rushed to the hospital in Denver for a myocardial infarction, where he would die two days later from complications of that attack. Four years later, his son Jamie (1896-1974) would later be elected President of Rio Blanco.
Jamie's son, George Edward Coxbourne (1929-2007), would serve as Mayor of Pike Fountain from 1955 to 1971. Philip's great-grandson, Fred Coxbourne (1961-), served as Governor of El Paso from 2002 to 2008 and as Executive of the Department of Housing and Urban Development from 2009 to 2012.