Henry Stephen Fox
Encyclopedia
Henry Stephen Fox was a British diplomat.
(1755–1811), Henry was educated at Eton College
. Matriculating from Christ Church, Oxford
in 1809, his wit, charm, love of gambling (shared by his uncle Charles James Fox
) and manners made him popular in fashionable circles. He also shared his uncle's Whig
views and served as attaché with the mission to the Sicilian
court (1814-1818) and then with the French mission (1818-24). In the latter he was arrested for debt and only the French government
's intervention got him released. He next served as secretary of legation at Turin (1824), chargé d'affaires at Turin (1824-25), secretary of the legation at Naples (1826-27) and chargé d'affaires at Naples (1827-28).
He was gazetted secretary of legation at Vienna
in 1828, but refused this appointment to become first minister-plenipotentiary and envoy-extraordinary at Buenos Aires
then Rio de Janeiro
(with the civil war delaying his departure until 1831). He was there from 1831 to 1836, when he moved to be British ambassador to the United States of America, in the midst of disputes over slavery and Canada that seemed likely to lead to war. Fox did not enjoy his American posting and became more and more reclusive (though he did take up botanical collecting
), but he still objected to Robert Peel
's government sending Lord Ashburton
to settle the north-eastern boundary dispute
over Fox's head. He was retired from the post in 1843 to clear the way to a successful treaty to solve the Oregon
dispute. He stayed on in Washington, where he died from a morphine
overdose in 1846 and was buried in the Congressional Cemetery
, passing his botanical collection to his nephew Sir Charles James Fox Bunbury.
Life
As the only son of General Henry Edward FoxHenry Edward Fox
General Henry Edward Fox was a British Army general. He also served for a brief spell as Governor of Minorca.-Family:...
(1755–1811), Henry was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
. Matriculating from Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
in 1809, his wit, charm, love of gambling (shared by his uncle Charles James Fox
Charles James Fox
Charles James Fox PC , styled The Honourable from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned thirty-eight years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries and who was particularly noted for being the arch-rival of William Pitt the Younger...
) and manners made him popular in fashionable circles. He also shared his uncle's Whig
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
views and served as attaché with the mission to the Sicilian
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, commonly known as the Two Sicilies even before formally coming into being, was the largest and wealthiest of the Italian states before Italian unification...
court (1814-1818) and then with the French mission (1818-24). In the latter he was arrested for debt and only the French government
Bourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
's intervention got him released. He next served as secretary of legation at Turin (1824), chargé d'affaires at Turin (1824-25), secretary of the legation at Naples (1826-27) and chargé d'affaires at Naples (1827-28).
He was gazetted secretary of legation at Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1828, but refused this appointment to become first minister-plenipotentiary and envoy-extraordinary at Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
then Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
(with the civil war delaying his departure until 1831). He was there from 1831 to 1836, when he moved to be British ambassador to the United States of America, in the midst of disputes over slavery and Canada that seemed likely to lead to war. Fox did not enjoy his American posting and became more and more reclusive (though he did take up botanical collecting
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
), but he still objected to Robert Peel
Robert Peel
Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet was a British Conservative statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 December 1834 to 8 April 1835, and again from 30 August 1841 to 29 June 1846...
's government sending Lord Ashburton
Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton
Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton PC was a British politician and financier.-Background:Baring was the second son of Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, and of Harriet, daughter of William Herring...
to settle the north-eastern boundary dispute
Webster-Ashburton Treaty
The Webster–Ashburton Treaty, signed August 9, 1842, was a treaty resolving several border issues between the United States and the British North American colonies...
over Fox's head. He was retired from the post in 1843 to clear the way to a successful treaty to solve the Oregon
Oregon Treaty
The Oregon Treaty is a treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States that was signed on June 15, 1846, in Washington, D.C. The treaty brought an end to the Oregon boundary dispute by settling competing American and British claims to the Oregon Country, which had been jointly occupied by...
dispute. He stayed on in Washington, where he died from a morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
overdose in 1846 and was buried in the Congressional Cemetery
Congressional Cemetery
The Congressional Cemetery is a historic cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the final resting place of thousands of individuals who helped form the nation and the city of Washington in the early 19th century. Many members of...
, passing his botanical collection to his nephew Sir Charles James Fox Bunbury.