Samson Fox
Encyclopedia
Samson Fox was a British engineer, industrialist, and philanthropist.
Samson Fox was born in Bowling, Bradford
, Yorkshire, England, to Jonas and Sarah Fox (née Pearson), and the family moved shortly afterwards to live in nearby Leeds. At the age of eight he started work in a textile mill and at fifteen became an apprentice at a toolmaking and foundry company. In his late 20s, he was running his own toolmaking business (The Silver Cross Works). Ten years later, in 1874, he set up the Leeds Forge Company to produce "Best Yorkshire" iron for locomotive and marine engine parts. In 1877 he developed the corrugated boiler flue for which he became famous. This simple idea involved corrugating the flue pipes inside the boiler, improving both their heat transfer capability and compressive strength, enabling smaller boilers working at higher pressures to be used with improved safety. "Fox Corrugated" was adopted as standard by the Admiralty
and major steamship lines and was widely patented.
In 1887, he applied his knowledge and experience in forging to building forged "pressed" iron railway undercarriages and trucks. His railway trucks could support 120 tons without failing, were guaranteed for five years and were soon being sold in Argentina, Belgium, Bengal
, India, Japan, and Spain, in addition to England. North America
however was the world's biggest market so in 1888 Fox went to the United States and made a deal with famous railway salesman Diamond Jim Brady whereby Brady would sell American-made Fox trucks in America and remit one third of the price back to Samson Fox as commission. Brady's sales techniques soon succeeded and in 1888 the Fox Solid Pressed Steel Company was incorporated to manufacture the trucks in Joliet, Illinois
.
He won a number of awards for his work, including the Royal Society of Arts gold medal for the corrugated flue and the French Legion of Honour.
Fox bought and extended Grove House
in Harrogate
, a Yorkshire spa town
and became a benefactor to the local community. He provided Harrogate with its first steam Fire Engine, built the Grove Road School opposite his home, funded the Royal Hall
, and provided affordable social housing. He also built a "water gas
" plant to provide the main street of Harrogate with some of the earliest street lighting. In 1892-4 he provided most of the funds (£45,000 in two donations) to build the Royal College of Music
in London (his bust is in the entrance hall). Eventually he became Mayor of Harrogate for three successive years (1890–92), a record never equalled since. He was a JP (Justice of the Peace
) for both Leeds and Harrogate.
Around 1890, he invited the Croatian artist Vlaho Bukovac
to stay at Grove House and paint a series of family portraits. He collected many of Bukovac's other paintings but the collection was dispersed in an auction in 1911. The most important of all his purchases was the huge 'Suffer the Little Children', shown at the Paris Salon in 1888, which the Fox family later presented to St. Robert’s church in Harrogate.
He died in Walsall
, Staffordshire, in 1903. The King sent Harrogate a telegram of condolence.
He had married Mary Anne Slinger in Leeds in 1861. They had four children. At the 1889 wedding of his eldest daughter Clara Louisa to engineer Bernal Bagshawe, Dan Leno
was paid the then unheard of sum of £100 to entertain the guests and the grounds of Grove House were thrown open to the people of Harrogate. He remarried in 1899, after the death of his first wife in 1895, Annie Louise Baxter.
In 1891 Samson Fox was granted Arms by the College of Arms
, London:
Arms: Argent a representation of a corrugated boiler-flue fesseways proper between two foxes courant Gules each holding in their mouth a trefoil slipped Vert.
Crest: A representation of a corrugated boiler-flue as in the Arms and thereupon a fox Gules resting the dexter pay upon a trefoil slipped Vert.
Motto: Forti Nihil Difficile. (To the brave, nothing is difficult.)
. His grandson Robin Fox is the head of the Robin Fox acting dynasty
, making Samson Fox great-grandfather to screen actors Edward Fox
OBE
and James Fox
OBE
, and great-great-grandfather to English actress Emilia Fox
and her cousin Laurence Fox
.
Life and career
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, Yorkshire, England, to Jonas and Sarah Fox (née Pearson), and the family moved shortly afterwards to live in nearby Leeds. At the age of eight he started work in a textile mill and at fifteen became an apprentice at a toolmaking and foundry company. In his late 20s, he was running his own toolmaking business (The Silver Cross Works). Ten years later, in 1874, he set up the Leeds Forge Company to produce "Best Yorkshire" iron for locomotive and marine engine parts. In 1877 he developed the corrugated boiler flue for which he became famous. This simple idea involved corrugating the flue pipes inside the boiler, improving both their heat transfer capability and compressive strength, enabling smaller boilers working at higher pressures to be used with improved safety. "Fox Corrugated" was adopted as standard by the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
and major steamship lines and was widely patented.
In 1887, he applied his knowledge and experience in forging to building forged "pressed" iron railway undercarriages and trucks. His railway trucks could support 120 tons without failing, were guaranteed for five years and were soon being sold in Argentina, Belgium, Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
, India, Japan, and Spain, in addition to England. North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
however was the world's biggest market so in 1888 Fox went to the United States and made a deal with famous railway salesman Diamond Jim Brady whereby Brady would sell American-made Fox trucks in America and remit one third of the price back to Samson Fox as commission. Brady's sales techniques soon succeeded and in 1888 the Fox Solid Pressed Steel Company was incorporated to manufacture the trucks in Joliet, Illinois
Joliet, Illinois
Joliet is a city in Will and Kendall Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. As of the 2010 census, the city was the fourth-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 147,433. It continues to be Illinois' fastest growing...
.
Fox bought and extended Grove House
Grove House, Harrogate
Grove House is a Grade II* listed manor house, located in Skipton Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. Built in 1745-54 as World's End Inn, and the first house in Yorkshire to have gas lighting and heating, today it is a convalescence and old aged persons rest home, owned and operated by the...
in Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
, a Yorkshire spa town
Spa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
and became a benefactor to the local community. He provided Harrogate with its first steam Fire Engine, built the Grove Road School opposite his home, funded the Royal Hall
Royal Hall, Harrogate
The Royal Hall is a Grade II listed performance hall and theatre, located in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England.With local benefactors led by engineering inventor Samson Fox, the building opened in 1903 as the Kursaal. Designed by Robert Beale and Frank Matcham, one of the most prolific theatre...
, and provided affordable social housing. He also built a "water gas
Water gas
Water gas is a synthesis gas, containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen. It is a useful product but requires careful handling because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. The gas is made by passing steam over a red-hot hydrocarbon fuel such as coke:...
" plant to provide the main street of Harrogate with some of the earliest street lighting. In 1892-4 he provided most of the funds (£45,000 in two donations) to build the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
in London (his bust is in the entrance hall). Eventually he became Mayor of Harrogate for three successive years (1890–92), a record never equalled since. He was a JP (Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
) for both Leeds and Harrogate.
Around 1890, he invited the Croatian artist Vlaho Bukovac
Vlaho Bukovac
Vlaho Bukovac was a Croatian painter.-Life:- Early life :Bukovac was born Biagio Faggioni in the town of Cavtat south of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia...
to stay at Grove House and paint a series of family portraits. He collected many of Bukovac's other paintings but the collection was dispersed in an auction in 1911. The most important of all his purchases was the huge 'Suffer the Little Children', shown at the Paris Salon in 1888, which the Fox family later presented to St. Robert’s church in Harrogate.
He died in Walsall
Walsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
, Staffordshire, in 1903. The King sent Harrogate a telegram of condolence.
He had married Mary Anne Slinger in Leeds in 1861. They had four children. At the 1889 wedding of his eldest daughter Clara Louisa to engineer Bernal Bagshawe, Dan Leno
Dan Leno
Dan Leno , born George Wild Galvin, was an English comedian and actor, famous for appearing in music hall and dozens of comic plays, pantomimes, Victorian burlesques and musical comedies during the Victorian era...
was paid the then unheard of sum of £100 to entertain the guests and the grounds of Grove House were thrown open to the people of Harrogate. He remarried in 1899, after the death of his first wife in 1895, Annie Louise Baxter.
In 1891 Samson Fox was granted Arms by the College of Arms
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds’ College, is an office regulating heraldry and granting new armorial bearings for England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, London:
Arms: Argent a representation of a corrugated boiler-flue fesseways proper between two foxes courant Gules each holding in their mouth a trefoil slipped Vert.
Crest: A representation of a corrugated boiler-flue as in the Arms and thereupon a fox Gules resting the dexter pay upon a trefoil slipped Vert.
Motto: Forti Nihil Difficile. (To the brave, nothing is difficult.)
Family
His son, Arthur William Fox, married Hilda Hanbury, sister of actress Lily HanburyLily Hanbury
Lily Hanbury was an English stage performer.Hanbury was born Lily Alcock, the daughter of Elizabeth and Matthew Alcock. Educated in London, her début was in 1888's W. S. Gilbert's Pygmalion and Galatea at the Savoy Theatre; and later she appeared on most of the leading stages of the English...
. His grandson Robin Fox is the head of the Robin Fox acting dynasty
Robin Fox family
The Robin Fox family is a family with several members in the acting and related professions over a number of generations. Robin Fox , an actor and theatrical agent, and his wife Angela Muriel Darita Worthington, actress and daughter of the English playwright Frederick Lonsdale, had 3 sons,...
, making Samson Fox great-grandfather to screen actors Edward Fox
Edward Fox (actor)
Edward Charles Morice Fox, OBE is an English stage, film and television actor.He is generally associated with portraying the role of the upper-class Englishman, such as the title character in the film The Day of the Jackal and King Edward VIII in the serial Edward & Mrs...
OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
and James Fox
James Fox
James Fox, OBE is an English actor.-Early life:James Fox was born in London, England to theatrical agent Robin Fox and actress Angela Worthington. He is the brother of actor Edward Fox and film producer Robert Fox. The actress Emilia Fox is his niece and the actor Laurence Fox is his son. His...
OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, and great-great-grandfather to English actress Emilia Fox
Emilia Fox
Emilia Rose Elizabeth Fox is an award-winning English actress, known for her role as Dr. Nikki Alexander on BBC crime drama Silent Witness, having joined the cast in 2004 following the departure of Amanda Burton. She also appears as Morgause in the BBC's Merlin beginning in the programme's second...
and her cousin Laurence Fox
Laurence Fox
Laurence Fox is an English actor best known for his leading role as Detective Sergeant James Hathaway in the British TV drama series Lewis...
.