He was born in
Portland, Oregon, the son of attorney Lewis Cox and Elinor Cox. After Lewis Cox died, Elinor Cox married John Latané, who became a professor at Johns Hopkins University in 1913. In 1915 Richard enrolled at Johns Hopkins University to study physics, but his studies were cut short when he was drafted for
World War I. He stayed in the US after being drafted and returned to Johns Hopkins University after the war, completing his BA in 1920. He earned his PhD in 1924; his dissertation was ''A Study of Pfund's Pressure Gauge''. His wife,
Shelby Shackleford (1899
Halifax, Virginia – 1987), whom he married in 1926, was an accomplished artist and illustrated
Electric Eel Calling, a book on electric eels. He died on May 2, 1991. His doctoral students included
Carl T. Chase and
Clifford Shull. ==Cox and parity violation==