Fox, Charles James (1749–1806)

English Whig politician, son of the 1st Baron Holland. He entered Parliament in 1769 as a supporter of the court, but went over to the opposition in 1774. As secretary of state in 1782, leader of the opposition to William Pitt the Younger, and foreign secretary in 1806, he welcomed the French Revolution and brought about the abolition of the slave trade.

In 1782 he became secretary of state in Rockingham's government, but resigned when Shelburne succeeded Rockingham. He allied with North in 1783 to overthrow Shelburne, and formed a coalition ministry with himself as secretary of state. When the Lords threw out Fox's bill to reform the government of India, George III dismissed the ministry, and in their place installed Pitt. Fox now became leader of the opposition, although cooperating with Pitt in the impeachment of Warren Hastings, the governor general of India.

The ‘Old Whigs’ deserted to the government headed by Pitt in 1792 over the French Revolution, leaving Fox and a small group of ‘New Whigs’ to oppose Pitt's war of intervention and his persecution of the reformers. On Pitt's death in 1806 a ministry was formed with Fox as foreign secretary, which at Fox's insistence abolished the slave trade. He opened peace negotiations with France, but died before their completion.