In many ways, Eugene Cox was the quiet man of Progressive Labour Party politics.

His quiet competence, fair-mindedness and gentle spirit made him one of the most respected Members of Parliament on either side of the House of Assembly, from the time he came into the House as an MP in 1968 through his tenure as Finance Minister since the PLP came to power in 1998.

Inevitably, it is for the latter role that he will be most remembered, in spite of the long and distinguished career he enjoyed in politics, business and community service before 1998.

But before the PLP won the General Election, Mr. Cox played a key role, first with late PLP leader Frederick Wade, and then with Mr. Wade's successor Jennifer Smith, in assuring the business world that a PLP Government would maintain the economy's stability and would not be a tax and spend government.

That was the last stone that had to be paved into place on the PLP's long road to power. Once it was, it was no surprise that Mr. Cox would be appointed Finance Minister in the first PLP Cabinet.

He had perhaps the most challenging task of any new Minister because he had to put the PLP's pre-election words into action and put paid to the dire predictions before the Election of the havoc that the PLP would wreak on the economy.

To a great extent, he accomplished that task, calmly steering the Island through five years of continued, albeit somewhat slow, growth.

Indeed, Mr. Cox managed to keep taxes at a reasonably low level, even when it was quite possible that his UBP predecessors would have increased them. And, as with all Finance Ministers, he must have refused far more of the spending demands of his Cabinet colleagues than he would have approved.

At the same time, Mr. Cox faced a number of crises, among them the global recession of the last two years, the threats to Bermuda's regulatory structure from the US, Europe and international bodies like the OECD, the impact of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and most recently, the economic damage caused by Hurricane Fabian.

For the most part, Mr. Cox was successful in overcoming these challenges and continuing the Island's prosperity.

This did not come without some costs. Current account budget surpluses used to finance capital spending steadily shrunk through his tenure and while it was not necessary to borrow until this financial year, nor was Government debt significantly reduced, arguably leaving public finances weaker than they were when Mr. Cox took office.

More broadly, Mr. Cox presided over the continuation of the transformation of the economy from one that depended on tourism and international business more or less equally to one that today is almost entirely dependent on international business. This process began under the UBP, but Mr. Cox was unable to do much to reverse the trend.

History will be the final judge of Mr. Cox's tenure as Finance Minister. For now, it is fair to say that he accomplished much more than his critics expected and leaves the economy in good shape.

As a man, Mr. Cox will be much missed, both by his colleagues and friends in the PLP and politics and by many in the community who were touched by his common sense, generosity of spirit and intense dedication to his parish of Sandys and his island of Bermuda.

His quiet intelligence, open mind and calm demeanour discouraged attacks on him personally and encouraged calm and reasoned debate in the often rancorous House of Assembly.

Politically, he was always on the conservative wing of the PLP, and his moderate and measured views were an important balance to its more radical wing. Last summer, having stood loyally by Ms Smith in the face of the post-election rebellion, he helped to secure the Premiership for Alex Scott when he stepped aside as Deputy Premier to make way for Ewart Brown. That act of selflessness and that willingness to compromise for the greater good was a hallmark of Mr. Cox's career.

For all of the time he spent in politics, Mr. Cox was also intensely dedicated to Sandys Secondary School, to his church and to the engineering profession.

He was very much a self-made man as a graduate of the outstanding Royal Navy Dockyard apprentice programme who then went on to further academic success and finally became the executive vice president of the Bermuda Electric Light Company.

There is perhaps no better measure of a person's success in life than in the success of his or her children. A devoted husband and father, Mr. Cox's legacy will live on through his children Paula and Jeremy who have also devoted their lives to public service.