The Honorable and Mrs. Sam Fox
Biography
The son of immigrants who fled Europe for a better life, Ambassador Fox was born and raised in the small town of Desloge, Missouri. Encouraged by an older sister to attend college, he enrolled at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He graduated in 1951 with a degree in business administration.
In 1976, he founded Harbour Group, Ltd., a privately owned company specializing in the acquisition and development of high-quality companies for long-term investment. Harbour Group has now started, acquired, or built more than 210 companies in 47 industries. Its success in its first few decades was especially remarkable because it came largely in traditional, domestic manufacturing industries such as drill bits, lubricating equipment, and automotive parts, which many observers at one time thought could no longer succeed in the United States.
Meanwhile, Mr. Fox took on a prominent role in the civic life of St. Louis, with top leadership positions at the St. Louis Art Museum, Boy Scouts of America, United Way, and Washington University, among others. In 2003, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and civic leaders named him St. Louis Citizen of the Year for his lasting and inspirational contributions to the St. Louis area. The award is one of many he has received from both local and national organizations for his service.
Mr. Fox has been active nationally for decades on behalf of the Republican Party. From 2001 to 2006, he served as national chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition, and in 2002 he served as regents chairman of the Republican National Committee.
President George W. Bush appointed him ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium in 2007. The reception his hosts provided in Brussels proved rather chilly because of widespread opposition to the US-led war in Iraq. Once Belgians began to appreciate Mr. Fox’s down-to-earth nature, as well as the sincerity of his desire to build closer ties, relations began to warm. Ambassador Fox was particularly proud of a 20-minute film he commissioned and whose development he oversaw. The film traced the history of the two countries’ relationship, with special attention to America’s support of Belgium in both world wars. Ambassador Fox and his wife fell in love with the Belgian people and made many close friends. In 2012, Ambassador Fox became the third American to receive The Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown, Belgium’s highest award for public service, presented at the behest of King Albert II.
For more than 60 years, Mr. Fox has been married to his wife, Marilyn (Widman), who has been a civic leader in St. Louis. For decades, their Sam and Marilyn Fox Foundation has supported hundreds of organizations devoted to basic human needs, such as food and shelter in St. Louis and across the nation and the world. They are the parents of five children: Cheri, Pamela, Jeff, Greg (deceased), and Steve, and they have 15 grandchildren.
Ambassador Fox is extremely grateful for his experience as a diplomat. He found it extraordinarily educational.