Emmet Fox (30 July 1886 – 13 August 1951) was an Irish

New Thought The New Thought movement (also Higher Thought) is a new religious movement that coalesced in the United States in the early 19th century. New Thought was seen by its adherents as succeeding "ancient thought", accumulated wisdom and philosophy ...

spiritual leader of the early 20th century, primarily through the years of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

until his death in 1951. Fox's large Divine Science church services were held in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He is today considered a spiritual godparent of

Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global, peer-led Mutual aid, mutual-aid fellowship focused on an abstinence-based recovery model from alcoholism through its spiritually inclined twelve-step program. AA's Twelve Traditions, besides emphasizing anon ...

Biography

Fox was born in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. His father, Joseph Francis Fox, who died when Fox was still in his teens, was a physician and Member of Parliament. Fox attended

St Ignatius' College St Ignatius College is a Catholic Church, Catholic Voluntary aided school, voluntary aided secondary school for boys aged 11–18 in Enfield, London, England, founded by the Society of Jesus in 1894 and completely moved to its present site by 1 ...

, a

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

secondary school near

Stamford Hill Stamford Hill is an area in Inner London, England, about northeast of Charing Cross. The neighbourhood is a major component of the London Borough of Hackney, and is known for its Hasidic community, the largest concentration of orthodox Ashken ...

. He became an electrical engineer. He studied New Thought from the time of his late teens; discovering his healing powers early. He came to know the prominent

writer

Thomas Troward Thomas Troward (14 October 1846 – 18 May 1916) was an English author whose works influenced the New Thought Movement and mystic Christianity. Background Troward was a divisional Judge in Punjab in British-administered India. His avocation ...

. Fox attended the

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

meeting at which the International New Thought Alliance was organized in 1914. He gave his first New Thought talk in Mortimer Hall in London in 1928. Soon he went to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and in 1931 was selected to become the successor to James Murray as the minister of New York's Divine Science Church of the Healing Christ. Fox became immensely popular, and spoke to large church audiences during the Depression, holding weekly services for up to 5,500 people at the

New York Hippodrome The Hippodrome Theatre, also called the New York Hippodrome, was a theater located on Sixth Avenue between West 43rd and West 44th Streets in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The theater operated from 1905 to 1939 ...

until 1938 and subsequently at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

. He was ordained in the Divine Science branch of New Thought. While on a visit abroad, he died at the

American Hospital of Paris The American Hospital of Paris (''Hôpital américain de Paris''), founded in 1906, is a private, not-for-profit, community hospital certified under the French healthcare system. Located in Neuilly-sur-Seine, in the western suburbs of Paris, Fra ...

on August 13, 1951.

Connection to Alcoholics Anonymous

Fox's secretary in New York was the mother of one of the men who worked with AA cofounder Bill W. Partly as a result of this connection, early AA groups often went to hear Fox. His writing, especially '' The Sermon on the Mount'', became popular in AA. Several pamphlets "The Golden Key," and "The Seven Main Aspects of God" are also widely read.

Bibliography

;Books: *''Alter Your Life''. (1931) *''Power Through Constructive Thinking''. (1932) *''The Sermon on the Mount: The Key to Success in Life''. (1934) *''Find and Use Your Inner Power''. (1937) *''Make Your Life Worthwhile''. (1942) *''Around the Year with Emmet Fox: A Book of Daily Readings''. (1952) *''Stake Your Claim: Exploring the Gold Mine Within''. (1952) *''The Ten Commandments''. (1953) *''Diagrams for Living : The Bible Unveiled''. (1968) ;Booklet: *''The Mental Equivalent: The Secret of Demonstration''. (1943) ;Pamphlet: *''The Seven Day Mental Diet : How to Change Your Life in a Week''. (1935)

References

External links

"Influence on Alcoholics Anonymous"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Emmet 1886 births 1951 deaths 20th-century Christian mystics American Christian mystics American pamphleteers American male non-fiction writers American spiritual writers Divine Science clergy New Thought mystics New Thought writers Alcoholics Anonymous People from Cobh

Biography

Connection to Alcoholics Anonymous

Bibliography

See also

References

External links