Arthur Cleveland Coxe

Arthur Cleveland Cox (May 10, 1818 - July 20, 1896) was the second bishop of Western New York. He used Cleveland as his name and is often referred to as A. Cleveland Cox. He was the son of Samuel Hanson Cox and Abia Hyde Cleveland but changed the spelling of the name. He was born in Mendham, New Jersey, on May 10, 1818. From his mother’s side, he was the grandson of Rev. Aaron Cleveland, an early Connecticut poet. His parents moved to New York in 1820, and he was educated there. Cox was prepared for college under the private guidance of Professor George W. Bush. He entered the University of New York and graduated in 1838. During the first year, he wrote the poem Progress of Ambition, and in 1837 published The Coming, the Enigma, a poem modeled on religious dramas Middle Age. In 1838, Atvold, a romance, and Saint Jonathan appeared, “Song of the Skald,” created as the beginning of a semi-mum poem in the style of don Juan. Cox in 1841 became a student at the General Theological Seminary in New York. While in this institution, he delivered the poem "Atanasion" to graduates of Washington College in Hartford at the opening in 1840. In the same year, he published Christian Ballads, a collection of poems, mainly offered by the holy seasons and the services of his church. Tom entered numerous publications, so much so that "their place in American literature has long been protected." He was ordained deacon on June 27, 1841, by Bishop Benjamin T. Onderdonk in St. Paul’s Chapel, a priest on September 25, 1842, in St. John’s Episcopal Church (Hartford, Connecticut). As a deacon, he took charge of St. Anne's Church, Morrisania, where he wrote his Halloween poem, privately printed in 1842.