Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant James Cox died as the result of injuries he sustained in the Virginia Capitol Disaster.
On April 27th, 1870, a balcony collapsed inside of the Virginia State Capitol, killing 62 people, including 12 law enforcement officers.
Following the Civil War, the United States Army installed a mayor in Richmond. In January 1870 Virginia's governor appointed a new city council, which then appointed a new mayor. However, the previous mayor refused to cede the mayorship and the city operated with two mayors and governments, including two separate police departments.
The balcony collapse occurred during a Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals hearing to determine which of the city's two mayors and police departments was considered legitimate. Because of the interest in the case, hundreds of citizens crowded onto the balcony to view the case. The weight of the spectators caused the structure to give way, killing dozens of elected officials, law enforcement officers, and citizens, and injuring hundreds more.
Following what became known as the Capitol Disaster, the court reconvened and ultimately ruled that the newly appointed mayor was the legitimate mayor.
Sgt. Cox, On today, the 150th anniversary of your death I would just like to say thank you to you and your fellow Officers for your service and sacrifice for the citizens of Richmond.
R.I.P. USBP
Anonymous United States Border Patrol April 27th, 2020
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-VA-96198F94- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
156 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Sergeant Cox served with the Richmond Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Richmond community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant James T. Cox is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,756 officers honored here.
In VA, 204 of 655 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.1% of this state's fallen. That is 31.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Richmond Police Department, 17 of 40 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 42.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James T. Cox's cause is highlighted.
How James T. Cox Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James T. Cox is highlighted in Apr.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
39 officers from Richmond Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
