Sir John Marcus Fox MBE (11 June 1927 – 16 March 2002) was a British Conservative Party politician. He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Shipley from 1970 to 1997. He was chairman of the

1922 Committee The 1922 Committee, formally known as the Conservative Private Members' Committee, or sometimes simply the 22, is the parliamentary group of the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party in the British House of Commons of the United Kingdom, H ...

between 1992 and 1997.

Early life

John Marcus Fox was born at the Maternity Home, Bradford Road, Batley, Yorkshire, on Saturday, 11 June 1927. He had a twin sister with whom he attended dancing lessons. At those lessons, he met

Betty Boothroyd Betty Boothroyd, Baroness Boothroyd (8 October 1929 – 26 February 2023), was a British politician who served as a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), member of Parliament (MP) for West Bromwich (UK Parliament constituency), West Bromwich an ...

, later to become the Speaker of the House of Commons. He attended Wheelwright Grammar School for Boys (now a campus of Kirklees College) in

Dewsbury Dewsbury is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder, West Yorkshire, River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, ...

. Fox served in the Duke of Wellington's Regiment as a

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

, a detail which he was sometimes known to mention in after-dinner speeches. Fox left the Army and began his political career with his election to

Council in 1956, remaining there until 1963. He then became a bank clerk, a sales manager for Woolworths and for

Terry's Terry's (formerly Terry's of York) is a British chocolate and confectionery brand. The original company was founded in 1767 in York, England, and was part of the city's famous confectionery triumvirate along with Rowntree's and Cravens. The co ...

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

, and then a company director. He unsuccessfully contested the parliamentary seat of

in 1959, followed by Huddersfield West in 1966, before eventually being elected for Shipley in 1970.

Parliamentary career

After Fox's election to parliament as the MP for Shipley, he served as a

whip A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...

under

Edward Heath Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 1916 – 17 July 2005) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 ...

, and then was a junior minister under

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...

. He was moved back to the back-benches in 1981, and started ascending the pole to become chairman of the

, becoming vice-chairman in 1983 and chairman in 1992. He received an MBE in

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

for political services in Yorkshire, was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in 1986 for political service, and became a member of the Privy Council in 1996. Fox lost his seat at the general election in 1997 to

Chris Leslie Christopher Michael Leslie (born 28 June 1972) is a British business executive and former politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Shipley from 1997 to 2005 and Nottingham East from 2010 to 2019. A former member of the La ...

, the Labour candidate.

Personal life

He married Ann Tindall in 1954; they had a son and a daughter. Fox was in poor health in the last years of his life, suffering from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

as well as having multiple strokes. He died at a care home in

Shipley, West Yorkshire Shipley is a historic market town and civil parish in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Located on the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Shipley is directly north of the city of Bradford. The population of Shipley at ...

, on 16 March 2002, at the age of 74.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Marcus 1927 births 2002 deaths 20th-century English businesspeople Chairmen of the 1922 Committee Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Councillors in Kirklees Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in England English twins Green Howards officers Knights Bachelor Members of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom People from Dewsbury Politicians from Bradford UK MPs 1970–1974 UK MPs 1974 UK MPs 1974–1979 UK MPs 1979–1983 UK MPs 1983–1987 UK MPs 1987–1992 UK MPs 1992–1997