FOX

fox, sir stephen (1627-1716), english statesman, born on the 27th of march 1627, was the son of william fox, of farley, in wiltshire, a yeoman farmer. at the age of fifteen he first obtained a situation in the household of the earl of northumberland; then he entered the service of lord percy, the earl's brother, and was present with the royalist army at the battle of worcester as lord percy's deputy at the ordnance board. accompanying charles ii. in his flight to the continent, he was appointed manager of the royal household, on clarendon's recommendation as "a young man bred under the severe discipline of lord percy ... very well qualified with languages, and all other parts of clerkship, honesty and discretion." the skill with which he managed the exiguous finances of the exiled court earned him further confidence and promotion. he was employed on several important missions, and acted eventually as intermediary between the king and general monk. honours and emolument were his reward after the restoration; he was appointed to the lucrative offices of first clerk of the board of green cloth and paymaster-general of the forces. in november 1661 he became member of parliament for salisbury. in 1665 he was knighted, was returned as m. p. for westminster on the 27th of february 1679, and succeeded the earl of rochester as a commissioner of the treasury, filling that office for twenty-three years and during three reigns. in 1680 he resigned the paymastership and was made first commissioner of horse. in 1684 he became sole commissioner of horse. he was offered a peerage by james