Kirk Cox

Marvin Kirkland "Kirk" Cox (born August 17, 1957) is an American politician and retired educator. A Republican, he has served in the Virginia House of Delegates since 1990, representing the 66th District, made up of the southern Richmond suburb of Colonial Heights and nearby parts of Chesterfield County. He also served as the 55th Speaker of the House of Delegates. Prior to that, he had served as House Majority Leader from 2010 to 2018, and before that House Majority Whip from 2004 to 2010.

Cox was born in Petersburg, Virginia. He graduated from Colonial Heights High School in 1975. After studying political science and social science at James Madison University, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in both fields of study in 1979. He pledged with Theta Chi at James Madison University. Cox received an Associate of Science (AS) in Life Science from the Richard Bland College at the College of William & Mary in 1981.

Kirk Cox was first elected from the 66th District to the House of Delegates in 1989. The 66th House District includes all of Colonial Heights and parts of Chesterfield County.

In 2017, legislation successfully patroned by Cox resulted in the establishment of the Online Virginia Network (OVN). OVN is an online consortium that offers degrees in high demand fields from Virginia public universities. The program began with two universities participating—George Mason University and Old Dominion University—and has since expanded to include the Virginia Community College System.

On January 10, 2018, Cox was unanimously elected as Speaker of the House by the members of the House of Delegates. Upon being sworn in, he became the first Speaker in state history from Colonial Heights, the first Speaker to represent a portion of Chesterfield County since the 1800s, and the first Speaker whose profession was that of a public school teacher.

On February 5, 2019, Cox helped the Virginia House of Delegates pass House Bill 2577 to lift the age cap for autism coverage, which helped approximately 10,000 people in Virginia get access to the healthcare they need. Many of these children are not diagnosed until they are already six or seven years of age and need access to important care for longer than just three or four years. No other prevalent health condition—including asthma, diabetes and cancer—has coverage limits that are imposed based on the patient’s age. Coverage for all other health conditions is based on medical necessity.

In June 2019, judges declared the House of Delegates' district map illegal due to racial gerrymandering, and imposed a new map. Republican members of the House of Delegates drew the old map in 2011. Cox has opposed the court's ruling, conceding that the map had been drawn to gain political advantage, but not to suppress voters based on race. District 66, represented by Cox, is among the districts that underwent substantial redistricting.

In July 2019, Cox formally closed a special session on gun control after 1 hour and 30 minutes of deliberation between fellow delegates. Governor Ralph Northam called for the session after the shooting at Virginia Beach, and Cox adjourned the session with no actions taken.

In the 2019 election, Cox was re-elected to a 16th term, but the Republicans lost their majority. He relinquished the role of Speaker to Democrat Eileen Filler-Corn on January 8, 2020.

Cox and his wife Julie reside in Colonial Heights, Virginia. They have four sons: Lane, Carter, Blake, and Cameron. Cox taught government at Manchester High School in Chesterfield County until his retirement in 2012.