Howard Fox

Howard Fox (1836-12-10 - 1922-11-15), was a Shipping Agent and played a large part in the economic and cultural development of the town of Falmouth, Cornwall. He was a member of the influential Fox family of Falmouth.

Business interests

The Fox family had built up a diversified set of interests beyond the original Ship Brokering office (see List at WP article on the family). Howard Fox led the central board of the Company.

Consular roles

He was Consul for the United States of America in Falmouth from 1874 until 1905, in succession to his father. [ [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/faq/ U.S. State Department FAQs] ] [British Government approval of U.S. appointment: "The Times", Saturday, Jan 02, 1875, p7, col A] ["The Times", Thursday, Nov 19, 1885, p5, Issue col E: U.S Consuls in Europe confirmed in Office, including Howard Fox at Falmouth.] . He became Consul for Denmark in 1909 [Howard Fox appointed Consul for Denmark: "The Times", Tuesday, Jan 26, 1909, p11,col A ] . In April 1870, He was appointed Vice-Consul for the Republic of the Equator [Vice-Consul: Ecuador "The Times", Saturday, Apr 9, 1870, p5, col A] . He was appointed Consul for Sweden and Norway in 1896 [Sweden & Norway Vice-Consul: The Times, Wednesday, Jan 8, 1896, p10, col C ] .

Harbour and Dock development

He was also chairman of Falmouth Dock Company for 45 years, succeeding his father [Alfred Fox is shown and Howard Fox as a Director of the Falmouth Dock Company in the advertisement in "The Times", Monday, Oct 28, 1861, pg. 3, col A. when further shares of £144,700 was offered for sale.]

cientific interests

He had wide general interests in science and supported the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society and the British Association. At the British Association's Annual Meeting held in Nottingham in September 1893, he read a paper to the Geology Section "The radiolarian cherts of Cornwall". In 1884, he attended the British Association meeting in Montreal, Canada.

He was a member of the Geological Society of London [His obituary appeared the Quarterly Journal of Geological Society of London [http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/gsl/null/lang/en/page762.html No. 79 (1923) (Source: GSL website.] .] . He served as president of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall in 1893-1894, [ cite book
last =
first =
editor = K. F. G. Hosking & G. J. Shrimpton
title = Present Views of Some Aspects of the Geology of Cornwall and Devon
origyear = 1964
publisher = Royal Geological Society of Cornwall
location = Penzance
pages = p.iii
chapter = Patrons and Presidents ] and in 1897 was awarded the RGSC's prestigious "Bolitho Gold Medal". [ cite book
last =
first =
editor = K. F. G. Hosking & G. J. Shrimpton
title = Present Views of Some Aspects of the Geology of Cornwall and Devon
origyear = 1964
publisher = Royal Geological Society of Cornwall
location = Penzance
pages = p.iv
chapter = The William Bolitho Gold Medal ]

He was also interested in Ornithology, Botany and Horticulture. He was given the exotic garden developed by his Uncle Robert, at Rosehill, Falmouth, in 1872 [ [http://members.tripod.com/morrablectures/fox.htm Sandra & George Pritchard's website on Rosehill Gardens.] ] [ [http://www.carrick.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=8369 Carrick District Council page on Fox-Rosehill Gardens.] ] [ [http://www.pbase.com/edgegallery/fox_rosehill gallery of photos of exotic plants at Rosehill.] ] [On 1909-01-09, Howard Fox wrote to the Editor of "The Times". It was published under the heading "Cornish Gardens" on 1909-01-14 p4, col B.Quotation|Sir,The recent cold snap must have spoiled the floral beauty of most English gardens but did not reach the south west of Cornwall, so here they remain in very exceptional winter luxuriance.

We have, for instance, at Falmouth the following trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants flowering in the open air:-

*Abutilon,
**Boule de Neige, convert|8|ft|m|abbr=on high;
**A. mesopotamicum, convert|10|ft|m|abbr=on
**Crusader, convert|8|ft|m|abbr=on
**Prince of Wales convert|10|ft|m|abbr=on
*Acacia Leabata, convert|30|ft|m|abbr=on
*A. longifolia, convert|20|ft|m|abbr=on
*Acanthus mollis
*Brugmansia lutea, convert|6|ft|m|abbr=on
*B. sanguinea, convert|8|ft|m|abbr=on
*Calceolaria amplexicaulis
*C. burbridgi, convert|5|ft|m|abbr=on
*Citron, Madras in fruit and flower on a wall
*Clianthus puniceus
*Cyclamens in variety
*Coleonema alba (syn. Diosma ericoides) has been showing flowers every day for the last two years
*Cestrum elegans (syn. Habrothamnus fasciculatus)
*Cystus prolifera, convert|12|ft|m|abbr=on high
*Daphne vera Indica
*Desfontainea spinosa
*Ericas in variety
*Eupatorium micranthum (syn. Weinmannianum) 10 ft.
*Fuchsias, Roses and Hydrangeas in variety
*Melianthus major, convert|10|ft|m|abbr=on
*Musa japonica (Banana)
*Senecio grandiflora *
*Solanum Balbisii covered with orange-coloured spines, convert|6|ft|m|abbr=on high
*Salvias in variety
*Sparrmannia africana, convert|6|ft|m|abbr=on

Falmouth, 9 Jan. HOWARD FOX.We may judge from this that he was a passionate gardener. *No such species as "Senecio grandiflora". He may have meant "S. grandifolius", ] .

Philanthropy and Peace activities

Along with many other members of the Fox family, he was a Quaker [Howard Fox was listed a member of Cornwall Monthly Meeting in the "1889 Devon & Cornwall General Meeting List of Members."] , and engaged with them in various philanthopic projects. He was a founder of Falmouth County School for Girls.

In 1878, he seconded a motion at a public meeting of Falmouth Chamber of Commerce, urging the Government "to maintain in the present crisis [Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)| [The Russo-Turkish War] the principles of strict neutrality" ["The Times", 1878-01-09 This article was a survey of meetings around the country of people opposed to Britain joining the war.] .

Birth, Marriage and Family

He was born 1836-12-10 at Wodehouse Place, Falmouth, the third son of the twelve children of Alfred Fox (1794-1874) and his wife, Sarah Lloyd (1804-1890).

He married Olivia Blanche Orme (1844 - 1930) in 1864 [Date of marriage given in Miligan's "Dictionary . . ".] . They had four children, two boys and two girls. His son, Charles Masson Fox, was a timber merchant and a director of the family Shipping Broking company, G.C.Fox. His son, Howard Orme Fox (17 August 1865 - 1921-06-07) was an Imperial Civil Servant [Howard Orme Fox was in the Ceylon Civil Service and died in Sri Lanka on 1921-06-07, according to a Death Notice in "The Times" 1921-06-09, p1. Col B. According to [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=eUF_rS8FEoIC&pg=PA135&lpg=PA135&dq=%22orme+fox%22&source=web&ots=IhdFiTdUpl&sig=H5_4yiaXdG8PQRYxfZ1RKPUa8eI&hl=en "Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon: Its History, People, Commerce", edited by Arnold Wright (1907) page 135, he was born (17 August 1865 Available on GoogleBooks] ] . His daughters, Olivia Lloyd Fox (Born 1868 [According to the [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~foxdatabase/olivia.html Foxhound database] , Olivia Lloyd Fox was born 1868-02-05] ) and Stella (Born 1876 [According to the [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~foxdatabase/stella.html Foxhound database] , Stella Fox was born 1876-12-11.] ) [ [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~kayhin/1834b.html Dates of birth of daughters also calculated from ages given in 1891 Census: Cornwall Online Census Project RG12/1834 (Part 3).] ] , gave Rosehill Garden to Falmouth Town Council [cite book
last = Fox
first = Charles
authorlink = Charles Fox of Glendurgan
title = Glendurgan: a personal memoir of a garden in Cornwall
publisher = Alison Hodge
date = 2004
location = Newmill, Penzance, Cornwall
pages =
id = ISBN 0-906720-35-4 by a great grandson of Alfred Fox. Note of Howard's daughters on p119.] . [Blanche was seriously ill, following Stella's birth, according to a note found in Howard Fox's papers, dated 13/12-1876 and signed CF]

He died 1922-11-15 at Rosehill, Falmouth.

Publications

*"Observations in further illustration of the history and statistics of the Pilchard Fishery" (1879).

*“The flying squid or calamar”, Falmouth : "Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society", 1879

*“Further Killigrew Mss. Relating to the Killigrew Pyramid or Monument at Falmouth and Other Matters” "Journal of the Royal Institution of Cornwall". No.42.

*“Further Notes on the Devonian Rocks and Fossils In the Parish of St Minver.” "Transactions of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall". Vol.13, Part 1, 1905.
*“Notes on some coast-sections at the Lizard : On a radiolarian chart from Mullion Island” by Howard Fox and J. J. H. Teall. "The Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society", Vol.49 (1893) pp.199 and 211.
*“On a well-marked horizon of radiolarian rocks in the lower Culm Measures of Devon, Cornwall and West Somerset” by George Jennings Hinde and Howard Fox. "The Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society", 1895; v. 51; issue.1-4; p. 609-NP; ["On Well-marked horizon . . " Full text at [http://jgslegacy.lyellcollection.org/cgi/content/abstract/51/1-4/609 The Lyell Collection, online (accessed 24 December 2007).] ]
*“On Some Nodular Concretions, Resembling Fossil Wood and Fossil Fish : Treworden Wood, Launceston.” "Transactions of the Royal Cornwall Geological Society", 1894.
*“On the gneissic rocks off the Lizard; with notes on the specimens” by Howard Fox and J. J. H. Teall, "The Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London". Vol.44. 1888 p519-544

*“Supplementary Notes on the Cornish Radiolarian Cherts and Devonian Fossils” "Transactions of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall", Vol.12, Part 4, 1899.

*"On a soda felspar rock at Dinas Head, North Coast of Cornwall", Cambridge University Press, 1895.

References

Persondata
NAME=Fox, Howard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Businessman, naturalist, geologist,gardener
DATE OF BIRTH=1836-12-10
PLACE OF BIRTH=Falmouth
DATE OF DEATH=1922-11-15
PLACE OF DEATH=Falmouth