James Patrick Fox (October 30, 1954 – February 20, 2017) was an American politician and political strategist. He twice served as New Jersey Commissioner of Transportation and also worked for the

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, (PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ) is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate c ...

(PANYNJ).

Biography

Fox was born in

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Union Township, Union County, New Jersey Union Township is a township in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In the 18th century, the area that is now Union was then called Connecticut Farms. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 59,728, an ...

. His father was head basketball coach at St. Patrick High School, where Fox attended but was too short to play on the team. He attended

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Saint Thom ...

where he earned a degree in political science. He was a long-time aide to former U.S. Sen.

Robert Torricelli Robert Guy Torricelli (born August 27, 1951) is an American attorney and former politician. A Democrat, Torricelli served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 9th district from 1983 to 1997 and as a United States ...

, serving as Torricelli's

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

in the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

and the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

. He also served on the staff of former New Jersey Gov.

James Florio James Joseph Florio (August 29, 1937 – September 25, 2022) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 49th governor of New Jersey from 1990 to 1994. He was previously the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 1st congressional dist ...

. From 1999 to 2001, Fox served as the Executive Director of the

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States Senate. Its purpose is to elect Democrats to the United States Senate. The DSCC's current Chair is Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of Ne ...

, while Torricelli was the chairman of the committee. In 2002, Fox was appointed by New Jersey Gov.

James McGreevey James Edward McGreevey (born August 6, 1957) is an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as the 52nd governor of New Jersey from 2002 until his resignation in 2004 amidst a sex scandal. McGreevey served in the New Jersey Genera ...

as the New Jersey Commissioner of Transportation. While serving as Transportation Commissioner, Fox also served as Chairman of the

New Jersey Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. It ...

Board of Directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

. In 2003, McGreevey appointed Fox as

to the Governor, a position he held until McGreevey's resignation in November 2004. Following McGreevey's resignation, he became Deputy Executive Director of the PANYNJ, where he administered the New York region's three airports, seaports, the PATH commuter train system and the development of the

World Trade Center site The World Trade Center site, often referred to as " Ground Zero" or "the Pile" immediately after the September 11 attacks, is a 14.6-acre (5.9 ha) area in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The site is bounded by Vesey Street to the north ...

. He announced his intention to leave the Port Authority on July 1, 2007, in order to become a private consultant. While serving at the Port Authority, Fox also served as a Commissioner of the New Jersey Local Finance Board. In September 2008, Fox became a Senior Advisor for the Obama/Biden campaign, working out of the Florida HQ in Tampa. Following the campaign, he returned to Fox and Shuffler. During this time he was lobbyist for United Airlines. An art collector whose specialty was items related to his political travels, Fox was a resident of

Lambertville, New Jersey Lambertville is a city (New Jersey), city within Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Hunterdon County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 4,139, an increase of 233 (+6.0%) from the 3,906 reco ...

.Sullivan, John
"IN PERSON; McGreevey Goes for Muscle"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', December 1, 2002. Accessed October 23, 2011. In 2014, Governor Chris Christie nominated Fox to join his cabinet as New Jersey Commissioner of Transportation. Fox was under investigation by the Justice Department. His communications were subpoenaed by federal investigators looking into corruption at the PANYNJ. Fox, in his capacity as a United Airlines lobbyist, was alleged to have helped arrange the so-called "Chairmans flight" for Port Authority Chairman David Samson. In September 2015, Fox was accused of violating ethic laws by two former state officials for not recusing himself from a meeting that discussed United Airlines involvement in

Atlantic City Airport Atlantic City International Airport is a shared civil-military airport northwest of central Atlantic City, New Jersey, in Egg Harbor Township, the Pomona section of Galloway Township and in Hamilton Township. The airport is accessible via ...

. He resigned in October 2015, further stating that the investigation did not influence the decision. Fox died of heart failure in

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...

, at the age of 62.

References

External links

NJ Spotlight interview October 2014NJ Spotlight Feb 2015
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Jamie 1954 births 2017 deaths American political consultants State cabinet secretaries of New Jersey Port Authority of New York and New Jersey people New Jersey Democrats American gay politicians Politicians from Elizabeth, New Jersey People from Lambertville, New Jersey People from Union Township, Union County, New Jersey The Patrick School alumni Villanova University alumni LGBTQ people from New Jersey New Jersey Commissioners of Transportation Chiefs of staff to the governor of New Jersey

Biography

See also

References

External links