Charles Lewis Fox (1854–1927) was an American artist, philanthropist and labor unionist from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

. Prominent in the

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...

artist community, Fox was a proponent of

socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

and twice ran for Governor of Maine on the

Socialist Party of Maine The Socialist Party of Maine was a multi-tendency socialist political party in the U.S. state of Maine. During its first incarnation in the early 20th century, prominent members included naturalist Norman Wallace Lermond of Warren, artist Charles ...

ticket. He was secretary of the Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators and Paperhangers of America, Local 237.

Early life

Fox was born to Archelaus Lewis Fox and Dorcas Eaton of Portland, Maine in 1854. He was a boy during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, which ended in 1865. His family was wealthy and Fox attended Portland Public Schools before attempting to become an architect at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

. He left MIT and instead traveled to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

to study art, he was also exposed to socialist ideas. In France, he studied under the guidance of

Léon Bonnat Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat (20 June 1833 – 8 September 1922) was a French painter, Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur and professor at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Early life Bonnat was born in Bayonne, but from 1846 to 1853 he lived in M ...

and

Alexandre Cabanel Alexandre Cabanel (; 28 September 1823 – 23 January 1889) was a French painter. He painted historical, classical and religious subjects in the academic style. He was also well known as a portrait painter. According to ''Diccionario Enciclopedi ...

at the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...

. He also spent time at the

Gobelins Manufactory The Gobelins Manufactory () is a historic tapestry factory in Paris, France. It is located at 42 avenue des Gobelins, near Les Gobelins métro station in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. It was originally established on the site as a medieval ...

as an apprentice weaver.

Art

As an artist, Fox received acclaim for his summer art school in

North Bridgton, Maine North Bridgton is a village in the town of Bridgton in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. It is located just west of Long Lake, and just south of the town of Harrison. In 1768, the undeveloped land was granted by the Massachusetts General ...

as well as his oil paintings, mostly of Native Americans. His collection of paintings is housed at the

Farnsworth Art Museum The Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine, United States, is an art museum that specializes in American art. Its permanent collection includes works by such artists as Gilbert Stuart, Thomas Sully, Thomas Eakins, Eastman Johnson, Fitz Henry Lan ...

in Rockland. Fox operated The Fox Art School in Portland, which was a prominent regional art studio primarily for Maine residents unable to travel to New York City. The studio was cooperatively run; its motto was "to work and to paint for the brotherhood of mankind".

Politics

Fox served on the national committee of the

Socialist Party of America The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party of Ameri ...

as the representative of the

three times (1904, 1905 and 1907). He twice ran for

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

. During his first campaign in

1902 Events January * January 1 ** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world's f ...

, Fox challenged incumbent Republican

John Fremont Hill John Fremont Hill (October 29, 1855 – March 16, 1912) was an American businessman and politician. He served in a number of positions in Maine government, including as the 45th Governor of Maine from 1901 to 1905. Hill was born in Eliot, Maine ...

. He received 1,979 votes (1.83%) and finished in 4th place. This was a significant improvement over the 653 votes gathered by

Norman Wallace Lermond Norman Wallace Lermond (July 27, 1861 – Spring 1944) was an American naturalist and socialist activist. Lermond helped found the People's Party (United States), People's Party (the so-called "Populists") in Maine. and in 1892, Lermond ran for ...

in 1900. It qualified the party for official recognition. In his second campaign in

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...

, Fox challenged Republican William T. Cobb. Fox received 1,551 (1.37%) vote (3 of 4).

References

1854 births 1927 deaths Socialist Party of America politicians from Maine Artists from Portland, Maine Politicians from Portland, Maine Painters from Maine MIT School of Architecture and Planning alumni American expatriates in France Trade unionists from Maine Activists from Portland, Maine {{Maine-politician-stub