Cotton Family Genealogy & History

Thomas Bryant Cotton, born on May 13, 1977, is a prominent American politician and Army veteran, serving as the junior United States senator from Arkansas since 2015. A Republican, Cotton holds influential positions, including chairman of the Senate Republican Conference and the Senate Intelligence Committee. His political career began in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2015. Notable for his conservative stance, Cotton is recognized for his hawkish foreign policy views and opposition to police reform. His military service includes deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, earning him numerous accolades such as the Bronze Star. Cotton's education includes degrees from Harvard College and Harvard Law School.

Thomas Cotton was born in Dardanelle, Arkansas, to Thomas Leonard "Len" Cotton, a district supervisor with the Arkansas Department of Health, and Avis (née Bryant) Cotton, a schoolteacher and principal. His family has deep roots in rural Arkansas, having lived there for seven generations, and he was raised on a cattle farm.

Fearne Cotton is a renowned English broadcaster and author, celebrated for her versatile career in television and radio. She began as a children's TV presenter in the late 1990s and gained fame with shows like Top of the Pops, Love Island, and The Xtra Factor. Notably, she was the first regular female presenter of the Radio 1 Chart Show and hosted her own Radio 1 show from 2009 to 2015. Cotton is also recognized for her work on Celebrity Juice and her podcast Happy Place, which focuses on wellbeing and mental health.

Born in Northwood, London, Fearne Cotton hails from a family with creative roots. Her father, Mick Cotton, was a signwriter, and her mother, Lyn Cotton, worked in alternative therapy. Her paternal grandfather's cousin was Sir Bill Cotton, a former BBC executive, linking her to the famous entertainer Billy Cotton.

Antony Cotton, born Antony Dunn on August 5, 1975, is a celebrated English actor and comedian renowned for his roles as Sean Tully in "Coronation Street" and Alexander Perry in "Queer as Folk." His career boasts appearances in "Absolutely Fabulous," the film "Love Is the Devil," and success in reality TV, winning "Let's Dance for Comic Relief" in 2013. Cotton's work extends to theatre, and he has hosted "That Antony Cotton Show." He has received numerous accolades, including an MBE in 2022 for his services to the British Army and veterans.

Antony Cotton was born in Bury, Greater Manchester, to actress Enid Dunn. He attended Woodhey High School and Oldham Theatre Workshop, and he has an elder brother named Andrew.

Mary Ann Cotton, born Mary Ann Robson on October 31, 1832, in Low Moorsley, County Durham, was an infamous English convicted murderer and alleged serial killer. She was executed for poisoning her stepson Charles Edward Cotton with arsenic. Cotton is suspected of killing 11 of her 13 children and three out of four husbands, primarily for insurance payouts. Her criminal activities were uncovered when she unsuccessfully tried to send her stepson to a workhouse and subsequently reported his sudden death, leading to a pattern of suspicious fatalities being investigated. Cotton's execution on March 24, 1873, was notably grim, as she was strangled due to a short rope during her hanging at Durham Gaol.

Mary Ann Cotton was the daughter of Margaret Londsdale and Michael Robson, a colliery sinker. Her early life in County Durham was marked by tragedy when her father died in a mining accident in 1842. Following her father's death, her mother remarried George Stott, also a miner. Mary Ann's childhood was described as exemplary by her Sunday school superintendent, despite her later notorious criminal career.