Anne Cox Chambers
Encyclopedia
Anne Beau Cox Chambers is a media proprietor, who is primary owner of Cox Enterprises
, a privately held media empire that includes newspapers, television, radio, cable television, and other businesses.
She is the daughter of James M. Cox
, a newspaper publisher and 1920 Democratic Presidential nominee
, and his second wife, Margaretta Parker Blair. She owns and controls her father's business interests, through Cox Enterprises. For 33 years she co-owned the family company with her sister, Barbara Cox Anthony
, who died on May 28, 2007. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia
.
Her net worth has been estimated by Forbes
at $12.4 billion in September 2010, based principally on her equity interest in Cox Enterprises. She is the 20th-richest person in the United States and 53rd-richest person in the world.
Cox-Chambers has homes in Atlanta's Buckhead, an apartment on Sutton Place in New York, a 17th century estate in Provence France and a plantation estate in South Carolina.
in New York.
She was married to Louis G. Johnson by whom she had two children: Katharine Ann (married 1st Jesse Kornbluth, married 2nd William P. Rayner) and Margaretta (married 1st James F. Granite, 2nd Dr. Alexander Taylor, 3rd Michael Rich). The marriage ended in divorce.
In 1955, she married Robert William Chambers, by whom she had a son, James Cox Chambers (an actor, dancer, and choreographer).
Active in business and politics, Chambers was appointed ambassador to Belgium
by U.S. president Jimmy Carter
, a post she held from 1977 to 1981. She was a director of the board of the Coca-Cola Company during the 1980s, and she was the first woman in Atlanta to serve as a bank director (Fulton National Bank). She was also the first woman in Atlanta appointed to the board of the city's chamber of commerce.
Anne Cox Chambers holds the Chair of Atlanta Newspapers and serves as a Director of Cox Enterprises, one of the largest diversified media companies in the United States. It owns one of the nation's largest cable television businesses, Cox Communications, which provides Internet and telephone; publishes newspapers including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
and The Palm Beach Post
; owns and operates broadcast television and radio stations; and owns Manheim, an automobile auction firm. It also owns stakes in a variety of internet businesses, including Autotrader, the largest retail automotive shopping site in the world. The Ambassador's nephew James Kennedy is CEO of Cox Enterprises.
In 2004 Cox Enterprises announced a debt financed $7.9 billion privatization bid for the 38% of the cable television business Cox Communications that it does not already own. With approximately 6.3 million cable subscribers Cox also provides high-speed Internet service to more than 2 million homes and telephone service to 1.1 million homes.
, the Atlanta Historical Society, and the Woodruff Arts Center
, as well as on the boards of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
, the Pasteur Foundation, and the Whitney Museum in New York.
In 2008 it was reported that she had become a passionate supporter of Democrat
Barack Obama
's presidential campaign in Georgia.
named one of the wings of its expanded facility after Chambers in honor of her lifetime of support. Her work with the High began in 1965, when she helped to establish the "Forward Arts Foundation," a fund-raising group for the museum. In the early 1980s Chambers also served as honorary chair of the fund-raising effort to construct the museum's Richard Meier complex. In October 2006 the High, in collaboration with the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, opened the exhibition "Louvre Atlanta
," in a partnership facilitated by Chambers.
Cox Enterprises
Cox Enterprises is the successor to the publishing company founded in Dayton, Ohio, United States, by James Middleton Cox, who began with the Dayton Daily News. He was the Democratic candidate for the President of the United States in the election of 1920...
, a privately held media empire that includes newspapers, television, radio, cable television, and other businesses.
She is the daughter of James M. Cox
James M. Cox
James Middleton Cox was the 46th and 48th Governor of Ohio, U.S. Representative from Ohio and Democratic candidate for President of the United States in the election of 1920....
, a newspaper publisher and 1920 Democratic Presidential nominee
United States presidential election, 1920
The United States presidential election of 1920 was dominated by the aftermath of World War I and a hostile response to certain policies of Woodrow Wilson, the Democratic president. The wartime economic boom had collapsed. Politicians were arguing over peace treaties and the question of America's...
, and his second wife, Margaretta Parker Blair. She owns and controls her father's business interests, through Cox Enterprises. For 33 years she co-owned the family company with her sister, Barbara Cox Anthony
Barbara Cox Anthony
Barbara Blair Cox Anthony was the youngest daughter of James M. Cox, a Democratic governor of Ohio, newspaper publisher and broadcaster. With her sister Anne Cox Chambers and brother James M. Cox, Jr., she inherited, via a trust, ownership and control of her father’s company, now called Cox...
, who died on May 28, 2007. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
.
Her net worth has been estimated by Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
at $12.4 billion in September 2010, based principally on her equity interest in Cox Enterprises. She is the 20th-richest person in the United States and 53rd-richest person in the world.
Cox-Chambers has homes in Atlanta's Buckhead, an apartment on Sutton Place in New York, a 17th century estate in Provence France and a plantation estate in South Carolina.
Early life
Anne Cox was born to Margaretta Blair and James Middleton Cox. She attended Finch CollegeFinch College
Finch College was a baccalaureate women's college located in Manhattan, New York City, New York. It began as a finishing school for wealthy young women and later evolved into a liberal arts college...
in New York.
She was married to Louis G. Johnson by whom she had two children: Katharine Ann (married 1st Jesse Kornbluth, married 2nd William P. Rayner) and Margaretta (married 1st James F. Granite, 2nd Dr. Alexander Taylor, 3rd Michael Rich). The marriage ended in divorce.
In 1955, she married Robert William Chambers, by whom she had a son, James Cox Chambers (an actor, dancer, and choreographer).
Career
In 1974, upon the death of their brother, James M. Cox (known as "Jim Jr."), Chambers and Anthony gained a controlling interest in the family company. That same year Chambers became chairwoman of Atlanta Newspapers. Anthony became chairwoman of Dayton Newspapers, while her husband, Garner Anthony, became the administrative head of Cox Enterprises. In 1988 Anthony's son James Cox Kennedy replaced his father as chairman and chief executive officer. Chambers remains a close advisor concerning the daily operation of the company.Active in business and politics, Chambers was appointed ambassador to Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
by U.S. president Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, a post she held from 1977 to 1981. She was a director of the board of the Coca-Cola Company during the 1980s, and she was the first woman in Atlanta to serve as a bank director (Fulton National Bank). She was also the first woman in Atlanta appointed to the board of the city's chamber of commerce.
Anne Cox Chambers holds the Chair of Atlanta Newspapers and serves as a Director of Cox Enterprises, one of the largest diversified media companies in the United States. It owns one of the nation's largest cable television businesses, Cox Communications, which provides Internet and telephone; publishes newspapers including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the only major daily newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and its suburbs. The AJC, as it is called, is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the result of the merger between The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta...
and The Palm Beach Post
The Palm Beach Post
The Palm Beach Post is a major daily newspaper in Florida, serving Palm Beach County in South Florida, and the Treasure Coast area. It is the 72nd largest daily newspaper in the United States and the sixth largest in Florida.-History:...
; owns and operates broadcast television and radio stations; and owns Manheim, an automobile auction firm. It also owns stakes in a variety of internet businesses, including Autotrader, the largest retail automotive shopping site in the world. The Ambassador's nephew James Kennedy is CEO of Cox Enterprises.
In 2004 Cox Enterprises announced a debt financed $7.9 billion privatization bid for the 38% of the cable television business Cox Communications that it does not already own. With approximately 6.3 million cable subscribers Cox also provides high-speed Internet service to more than 2 million homes and telephone service to 1.1 million homes.
Philanthropy
She is also a supporter of a wide range of cultural and educational charities, particularly relating to the arts and international affairs and has received many honorary doctorates and awards recognizing her efforts and philanthropy. She serves on the boards of the Atlanta Botanical GardenAtlanta Botanical Garden
The Atlanta Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located adjacent to Piedmont Park in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Incorporated in 1976, the garden's mission is to "develop and maintain plant collections for the purposes of display, education, conservation, research and...
, the Atlanta Historical Society, and the Woodruff Arts Center
Woodruff Arts Center
Woodruff Arts Center is a major visual and performing arts center located in Atlanta. The center houses four arts divisions in one campus and not-for-profit organization...
, as well as on the boards of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, the Pasteur Foundation, and the Whitney Museum in New York.
In 2008 it was reported that she had become a passionate supporter of Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's presidential campaign in Georgia.
High Museum of Art
In 2005 the High Museum of ArtHigh Museum of Art
The High Museum of Art , located in Atlanta, is the leading art museum in the Southeastern United States and one of the most-visited art museums in the world. Located on Peachtree Street in Midtown, the city's arts district, the High is a division of the Woodruff Arts Center.-History:The Museum was...
named one of the wings of its expanded facility after Chambers in honor of her lifetime of support. Her work with the High began in 1965, when she helped to establish the "Forward Arts Foundation," a fund-raising group for the museum. In the early 1980s Chambers also served as honorary chair of the fund-raising effort to construct the museum's Richard Meier complex. In October 2006 the High, in collaboration with the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, opened the exhibition "Louvre Atlanta
Louvre Atlanta
Louvre Atlanta is an art collaboration showing exhibits from the Louvre in Paris at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta from October 2006 to 2009. The High museum is holding related programs including lectures and art-making workshops....
," in a partnership facilitated by Chambers.