Henry Wilson-Fox facts for kids

Henry Wilson-Fox (born August 18, 1863 – died November 22, 1921) was an English lawyer, journalist, tennis player, and businessman. He built his career in Rhodesia, a region in southern Africa. There, he became a close partner of Cecil Rhodes, who was a powerful figure in British expansion in Africa. Wilson-Fox also managed the British South Africa Company and strongly supported Rhodes's ideas about expanding the British Empire.

In 1916, Wilson-Fox helped start the Empire Resources Development Committee. This group wanted the British government to manage and develop businesses across the British Empire. In 1917, he was elected as a Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamworth. In the House of Commons, he focused on money matters and developing the Empire until his death in 1921.

Early Life and Education

Henry Wilson-Fox was the son of Wilson Fox, who was a doctor to Queen Victoria. Henry went to several schools, including Charterhouse, Marlborough College, University College London, and Trinity College, Cambridge.

At Cambridge, he studied natural sciences. He also played lawn tennis for Cambridge University in 1885–86. Tennis and golf became his favorite hobbies. In 1888, he became a lawyer after studying at Lincoln's Inn.

In 1898, he married Eleanor Birch Sclater-Booth. She was the daughter of the first Baron Basing.

Career in Africa

In 1889, Wilson-Fox moved to Johannesburg, a city in South Africa. By 1892, he became the editor of the South African Mining Journal. He worked with John Hays Hammond to help write the mining laws for Rhodesia. This work connected him with Cecil Rhodes. Because of this connection, he was made a public prosecutor in Rhodesia in 1894.

Working with Cecil Rhodes

During the Second Matabele War in 1896, the Ndebele people fought against white settlers. They surrounded the town of Bulawayo. Cecil Rhodes led a group to help them, and Wilson-Fox was in charge of transport and supplies. In 1897, he did the same job during the Mashonaland rebellion. He was praised for his efforts and received a medal.

In May 1897, Wilson-Fox returned to England for a break. He was offered the job of manager for the British South Africa Company (BSAC). This company was a special type of business that managed large areas of land in Africa. These areas included Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), North-Western Rhodesia, and North-Eastern Rhodesia. The two northern areas later joined to form Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia).

Wilson-Fox started his new role in 1898 when he was 35. He mainly handled the business side of the company. He also served on the boards of many large companies in Rhodesia. In 1913, he joined the BSAC's main board of directors. He was also a director of the Charter Trust and Agency, which owned a lot of land in Rhodesia. He held leadership roles in other important companies, such as the Mashonaland Railway Company and the Wankie Colliery Company.

He became known as a great public speaker. He was a strong supporter of Cecil Rhodes's ideas about expanding the British Empire. He was also a member of important groups like the Royal Geographical Society (RGS). In 1918, he became a vice-president of the RGS.

Wilson-Fox also wrote letters to the editor of The Times newspaper. In 1912, he suggested that submarines could avoid crashing if they sprayed water into the air like whales. In 1916, he proposed that the government should protect new British factories. In return, these factories should pay their workers a fair wage and share profits with the government.

Developing the British Empire

In September 1916, The Times published two articles by Wilson-Fox about "Finance after the war." In the first article, he warned against paying off war debts too quickly. He suggested that the government should lower taxes and borrow money to invest in growing the economy. In the second article, he proposed creating a "Board of Imperial Development." This board would invest in projects across the British Empire that promised good returns and didn't compete with existing businesses. The Times newspaper supported his ideas.

His articles were very popular and led to the creation of the Empire Resources Development Committee (ERDC) in October 1916. Wilson-Fox, along with MP Alfred Bigland and Moreton Frewen, were the main founders.

The committee officially launched in early 1917. It was led by Sir Starr Jameson, with Wilson-Fox as the honorary secretary. The ERDC's main goal was to achieve the aims Wilson-Fox had set out.

ERDC's Vision and Impact

On January 29, 1917, the committee published its plans. They claimed that if their ideas were followed, the country's debt after the war would not be a problem. Many important people signed the manifesto, including Members of Parliament, government ministers, writers, and businessmen. Famous names included Rudyard Kipling and Lord Milner.

Later that year, Harry Brittain, another member, wrote that developing the Empire's resources was the only way to avoid high taxes forever. In 1918, Wilson-Fox described the committee's vision in a speech:

Looking into the future, we can visualise the State as an owner of vast herds of cattle Overseas raised on lands which are today unutilized; as a proprietor of forests and valuable plantations of tropical shrubs and trees grown on areas which are still virgin; as the harnesser of mighty waterfalls fed by the eternal snows of India and Africa; as an organiser of great commercial air services; and as the reaper on an immense scale of the manifold harvest of the seas.

—Henry Fox-Wilson, Esq., MP

This meant he imagined the government owning huge farms, forests, and power plants across the Empire. He also envisioned large air services and harvesting resources from the seas.

Wilson-Fox believed in limiting foreign land ownership and business in Britain. He did not support a completely free market. Instead, he wanted an economy focused on building national resources rather than just meeting consumer demands.

Not everyone agreed with the ERDC's ideas. John X. Merriman, a former Prime Minister of the Cape Colony, called Wilson-Fox's proposals "ridiculous." He thought they would make the British Empire run like a private company. In England, newspapers like the Manchester Guardian and groups like the Aborigines Protection Society worried that the plans would create state-controlled businesses. They also feared that African people would lose their land rights and become laborers instead of farmers.

Parliament

In February 1917, the Member of Parliament for Tamworth, Francis Newdegate, became the Governor of Tasmania. This created an open seat in Parliament. On February 13, Wilson-Fox was chosen as the Conservative candidate for the special election.

The Liberal Party did not put forward a candidate. This was part of a wartime agreement where the main political parties did not fight against each other in elections. Since Wilson-Fox was the only candidate, he was elected without a vote on February 23. He was also re-elected without opposition in the general election in December 1918.

In Parliament, he continued to promote trade and investment within the British Empire. The ERDC's work led to the creation of an Empire Development Parliamentary Committee. Wilson-Fox became its vice-chair. By 1921, this committee had over 200 members of Parliament.

In July 1917, he tried to change a finance law to give a tax break on money earned from investments made within the Empire. Later that month, he joined a special committee in the House of Commons that focused on finance.

In February 1921, he had the chance to introduce a new law. He announced that he wanted to change a law about how trade unions collected money for political purposes.

In October 1921, Wilson-Fox was part of a group of MPs who met with Winston Churchill, who was then in charge of the colonies. They argued for faster development of the Empire. They believed this would create opportunities for the "millions of surplus population" in Britain. The MPs wanted to move these people to the overseas parts of the Empire, and Churchill supported their ideas.

Death

On November 19, 1921, The Times newspaper reported that Wilson-Fox was very ill. Daily updates followed. On November 21, his condition seemed to improve, but the next day, it was reported that there was "no improvement."

The following day, the newspaper announced his death in London at age 58. Henry Wilson-Fox was buried on November 25 at Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey. A memorial service was held on November 28 at St Margaret's, Westminster, which is the church for the House of Commons. A special election for his Parliament seat was held on January 17, 1922, and was won by another Conservative candidate, Sir Percy Newson.

His wife, Eleanor, lived for more than 40 years after him, dying in October 1963 at age 92. She was recognized for her work as Chairman of the South African Comforts Committee in London.

Henry and Eleanor Wilson-Fox had two children. Their son, George Hubert Wilson-Fox, was born in 1899. Their daughter, Leila Eleanor Wilson-Fox, was born in 1901 but sadly died in 1903.