William John Ellis Cox, AC, RFD, ED, KC (born 1 April 1936) was Governor of Tasmania from 15 December 2004 to 2 April 2008, prior to which he was the state's Chief Justice and Lieutenant Governor.
He was appointed a magistrate in 1976, and became a Queen's Counsel in 1978, during his term as the State's Crown Advocate (equivalent to Director of Public Prosecutions).
[5] In August 2004, Cox was appointed to administer the Government of Tasmania upon the resignation of Richard Butler and, in November the Premier, Paul Lennon, announced that he had advised the Queen to appoint Cox as Governor of Tasmania.
Cox was succeeded as Governor on 2 April 2008 by Peter Underwood, Chief Justice of Tasmania.
[6] In November 2015, Cox was appointed to conduct the first five yearly review into the Tasmanian Integrity Commission.