Williams Carlton Fox was an American diplomat. He is noted for his services as a member of the United States Government Board of Management in early 1900s.
Background
Williams Carlton Fox was born on May 20, 1855 in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Elias Williams and Eusebia (Johnson) Fox. His father was a hardware dealer, originally of Buffalo, New York, and his greatgrandfather was Captain Samuel Pratt, a Revolutionary soldier and one of the founders of Buffalo.
Education
After attending Washington University in his native city and the Pennsylvania Military College at Chester, Pennsylvania, Williams Fox began the study of law.
Career
After studying law at the Pennsylvania Military College, Williams Fox abandoned the latter, however, when offered in 1876 the American consulship at Brunswick, Germany, by President Grant, a personal friend of his father. Four years later he continued thereafter to serve as consul until 1888, building up a record which led to his going to Persia in 1891 as vice-consul-general.
When the cholera epidemic of 1892 spread over almost all of Asia and Europe, he was in charge of the American legation at Teheran. He organized and financed the American Missionary Hospital and Dispensary, which proved so effective in combating the cholera that he received the thanks of the Shah and the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions. Resigning the same year, he was prevailed upon by the American minister to Greece, Rumania, and Servia, Truxtun Beale, to remain in Athens as his secretary until the following year.
After his return to the United States, he joined his father who had removed to Washington in 1885 and with others purchased the National Republican, in the management of the enterprise, but tiring of this, in 1896 he began publishing in New York and carried on for some time the first strictly diplomatic and consular journal ever attempted in the United States, the Diplomatic and Consular Review. This resulted in his being called to the chief clerkship of the International Bureau of the American Republics in 1898.
In this capacity he developed much of the detail necessary for the Second and the Third Conferences of American States, and represented the Bureau at both.
In the Second Conference, held in Mexico City, 1901-02, he aided in securing recognition of the Bureau as an international American institution with the franking privilege and the obligation of the director to attend all future international American conferences. His efforts were rewarded by his advancement in 1903 to the post of director of what is now called the Pan American Union, and it was in this capacity that he attended the Third Conference at Rio de Janeiro in 1906, one of the results of which was a plan to erect as headquarters a building for the Bureau in the city of Washington.
At the suggestion of Elihu Root, Andrew Carnegie was induced to contribute $750, 000 for this project to supplement subscriptions which Fox had secured from the American republics themselves.
Under his direction arrangements were perfected for the Columbus Memorial Library and for the holding of two international sanitary conferences in Washington in 1903 and 1905. Meanwhile, he had also served as a member of the United States Government Board of Management of the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo in 1901, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis in 1904, and the Lewis and Clark Exposition in 1905.
Early in 1907 his services were recognized by President Roosevelt hy his appointment as minister to Ecuador. Later in the same year he was designated by the President to represent him on the board of arbitration for the settlement of the controversy between the government of Ecuador and the Guayaquil & Quito Railway Company.
On August 8, 1911, he resigned his diplomatic post and retired to private life in New York City, devoting some of his time to the writing of articles on international affairs for American and European periodicals.
He died at the Lutheran Memorial Hospital in that city after a long illness.
Achievements
Religion
In his religious denomination Fox was a Presbyterian and received the special thanks of the Shah and the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions for organization of the American Missionary Hospital and Dispensary in Persia during the cholera epidemic of 1892.
Politics
In his political affiliation Williams Fox was a Republican.
Connections
On May 1, 1880, Williams Fox was married to Louise Ludewig from Brunswick, Germany.