Born Jan. 24, 1749, in London; died Sept. 13, 1806, at Chiswick, near London. British statesman.

Fox was the leader of the radical left wing of the Whigs. He served as a member of the government in 1782, 1783, and 1806. He considered that Great Britain’s trade and colonial monopoly could be consolidated under peaceful competitive conditions. Fox condemned the war of 1775–83 against the British colonies in North America, and he warmly welcomed the French Revolution and opposed war with France. Fox supported parliamentary reforms to increase bourgeois representation and to weaken the position of the aristocracy.