George Fox (physician)

In 1780, Fox gained a large inheritance from his late father and sailed to Europe with John Foulke. He stayed there for the next three years. During his travels, he fell ill at a chateau near Saint-Florentin, Yonne, Burgundy, and his host quickly removed him to Paris for treatment, where Fox allegedly died. Most absurdly, the Capuchin monks tasked with his burial supposedly resurrected him. Fox later renamed his family estate, Champlost, after the French Chateau where he initially fell ill.^[3]

Fox became a close friend to William Temple Franklin, grandson and Paris-based secretary of Benjamin Franklin.^[4] After the passing of both Franklins, many of the senior Franklin’s letters were inherited by Fox (most of which eventually came into the American Philosophical Society’s care via Fox’s son, Charles P. Fox).^[5] After returning to Philadelphia in 1783, Fox became a prominent man in political affairs: he worked as representative for Philadelphia to the State Assembly (1800). He was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society in 1784.^[6] He acted as a director of the Bank of the United States (starting in 1799 or 1812). He served as trustee of his alma mater from 1789 to 1791, whereupon he retired the position only to return from 1812 until his “final” death in 1828.