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Jon Cox has followed the political trail blazed by his fourth cousin Spencer Cox for awhile now — and he's doing it again.
Gov. Gary Hebert named Jon Cox his director of communication on Wednesday, meaning he will have to give up his seat in the Utah House.
That District 58 seat — representing Sanpete and Juab counties — was formerly held by Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, before the governor tapped him in 2013 for his current post.
Prior to that, Spencer Cox was a Sanpete County commissioner. He gave up that elective county job when he won election to the Legislature in 2012. Jon Cox was elected to the County Commission as his replacement.
Jon Cox at one point joked that his elevation to jobs formerly held by his distant cousin helps save money because they don't have to keep changing office nameplates.
In his new job as one of the governor's senior staff members, Jon Cox will replace Marty Carpenter, who is leaving his post to work on Herbert's re-election campaign.
"Jon has a strong understanding of the broad spectrum of issues facing our state and the goals we have as an administration," Herbert said in a statement. "He will be a significant asset to our staff as we communicate the success of our state to the public and craft strategies to enhance our enviable quality of life."
Cox, who has served as a full-time Snow College history teacher while in the Legislature, said, "I am excited to join the Herbert administration at a time when our state continues to experience unprecedented economic growth."
A replacement will be selected by Republican delegates in his district after he resigns his House seat.
There was no immediate word on whether another Cox is in the running.
Dan Harrie