Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland
(1705-1774), Whig statesmanEarly Georgian Portraits Catalogue Entry
Sitter in 13 portraits
Fox entered Parliament in 1735. He was a devoted supporter of Sir Robert Walpole, but this loyalty backfired on him after Walpole's fall in 1742. He served as surveyor-general of works, Lord of the Treasury and Secretary at War before becoming Leader of the House of Commons in 1755. In 1757, during the war with France, Fox became Paymaster to the Forces. He accumulated a vast fortune by speculating with the huge balances of public money that passed through his hands. Although this was legal, he was afterwards sued for the profits and described as 'the public defaulter of unaccounted millions'. He did not receive the Earldom on which he had set his heart, but was made a Baron in 1763.
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