[1] Cotton was ordained to the priesthood for the Order of Friars Preachers (Dominicans) by Archbishop John Timothy McNicholas on June 17, 1920.
[1][3] On December 16, 1937, Cotton was appointed the first bishop of the newly erected Diocese of Owensboro by Pope Pius XI.
[2] He received his episcopal consecration on February 24, 1938, from Archbishop John A. Floersh, with Bishops Theodore H. Reverman and Moses E. Kiley serving as co-consecrators.
[4] In early 1940, Cotton began the collection of relief supplies for refugees from World War II in Europe.
Contemporary reports said that Cotton strictly enforced these rules in the diocese, but personally was a kind individual.