Marcus Fox
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 directly overseeing candidate selection for the Conservative Party in the 1979 General Election.
Sir Marcus Fox | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of Parliament for Shipley | |
| In office 18 June 1970 – 8 April 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Geoffrey Hirst |
| Succeeded by | Chris Leslie |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 June 1927 Batley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK |
| Died | 16 March 2002 (aged 74) Shipley, West Yorkshire, England, UK |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservatives |
| Spouse(s) | Ann Tindall |
Early life
Fox had a twin sister with whom he attended dancing lessons. At those lessons, he met Betty Boothroyd, later the Speaker of the House of Commons.[1] He attended Wheelwright Grammar School for Boys (now a campus of Kirklees College) in Dewsbury.
Fox served in the Duke of Wellington's Regiment as a Lieutenant, 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 Dewsbury Council in 1956, remaining until 1963. He then became a bank clerk, a sales manager for Woolworths and for Terry's in York, and then a company director.[2] He unsuccessfully contested Dewsbury in 1959 and Huddersfield West in 1966, eventually being elected in 1970.
Parliamentary career
After Fox's election to parliament as the MP for Shipley, he served as a whip under Edward Heath, and then was a junior minister under Margaret Thatcher. He was moved back to the back-benches in 1981, and started ascending the pole to become chairman of the 1922 committee - becoming vice-chairman in 1983 and chairman in 1994. He received an MBE in 1963, was knighted in 1986, and became a member of the Privy Council in 1996.[3]
Fox lost his seat in the general election in 1997 to Chris Leslie, the Labour candidate. He then retired from politics to his Yorkshire home, where he remained until his death, aged 74.
Personal life
He married Ann Tindall in 1954; they had a son and a daughter.
References
- "Sir Marcus Fox". The Daily Telegraph. 19 March 2002.
- Biffen, John (19 March 2002). "Sir Marcus Fox". The Guardian.
- "Sir Marcus Fox". The Independent. 19 March 2002. Retrieved 7 July 2021.