Charles James Fox (editor)
Charles James Fox BA (c. 1827 – 14 March 1903) was an Australian newspaper editor and owner.
History
Little is known about his early life, but he was raised as a Roman Catholic and graduated with a BA from St John's College, Oxford.[1]
He emigrated to Adelaide, South Australia,[when?] and married Mary Ann Toole on 31 October 1866.[2]
Fox was the Latin master at John Lorenzo Young's Adelaide Educational Institution from 1868[3] to 1871[4] or later.
Fox was involved in various Catholic lay organizations. He served as honorary secretary of the committee to erect a memorial to Fr. J. N. Hinteröcker SJ (c. 1820–1872),[5] and succeeded Benjamin Hoare as editor of The Irish Harp and Farmers' Herald in January 1870.[6] In the newspaper, he notably criticized Bishop Sheil's excommunication of Mary MacKillop.[7] As a result, he was ousted from the South Australian Catholic Association, where he had served as both a founding member[8] and president.[9]
He retired as editor around August 1875[10] to focus on an agency he was running at 71 King William Street, Adelaide.[11]
In 1883, he moved to Hobart, Tasmania, where he edited the Tasmanian Mail. He left for New South Wales in June 1888.[12]
Fox purchased the Northern Argus in Narrabri, New South Wales, where he served as both proprietor and editor. On 29 August 1890, a fire destroyed the building, which was owned by a Mr. Spencer. All of its contents, including a steam engine, two presses, and good quality type, were owned by Fox.[13] Despite rumors, an inquest found no evidence of arson. At the time, Fox had a pending court case in which he was being sued for libel.[14]
In May 1899, he was appointed editor of the Cairns Argus.[15] He remained in that position until February 1903, when he sprained his ankle in a fall and was hospitalized in Townsville. He died there a week later.
Family
Sir Frank Fox (born 10 August 1874), an author and editor of The Lone Hand magazine (among other works), was his son.
References
- ^ "General News". The Express and Telegraph. South Australia. 15 January 1870. p. 2. Retrieved 28 April 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Family Notices". The Border Watch. South Australia. 3 November 1866. p. 2. Retrieved 28 April 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Adelaide Educational Institution". The Express and Telegraph. South Australia. 3 October 1868. p. 2. Retrieved 28 April 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Examinations". The Adelaide Observer. South Australia. 23 December 1871. p. 11. Retrieved 28 April 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Topics of the Day". The South Australian Advertiser. South Australia. 19 October 1872. p. 2. Retrieved 28 April 2020 – via Trove. Hinteröcker and Julian Tenison Woods were both noted as scientist-priests.
- ^ "The Week's News". Adelaide Observer. South Australia. 22 January 1870. p. 7. Retrieved 27 April 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "The Bishop and the Sisters of Saint Joseph". The Irish Harp and Farmers' Herald. South Australia. 7 October 1871. p. 6. Retrieved 25 April 2020 – via Trove. Fox was one of many who consistently misspelled the bishop's name as "Shiel".
- ^ "SA Catholic Association". The Irish Harp and Farmers' Herald. South Australia. 5 November 1870. p. 5. Retrieved 27 April 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "General News". The Express and Telegraph. South Australia. 19 October 1871. p. 2. Retrieved 25 April 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Topics". The Harp and Southern Cross. South Australia. 5 November 1875. p. 5. Retrieved 27 April 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Mr C. J. Fox". The Harp and Southern Cross. South Australia. 5 November 1875. p. 5. Retrieved 28 April 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Shipping". Tasmanian News. Tasmania, Australia. 20 June 1888. p. 3. Retrieved 28 April 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Burning of a Newspaper Office at Narrabri". The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser. New South Wales, Australia. 2 September 1890. p. 7. Retrieved 28 April 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Narrabri Newspaper Case". Australian Town and Country Journal. New South Wales, Australia. 20 December 1890. p. 14. Retrieved 28 April 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Telegraphic News". The Northern Miner. Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia. 24 May 1899. p. 3. Retrieved 28 April 2020 – via Trove.