Jon D. Fox (April 22, 1947 – February 11, 2018) was an American Republican politician. He served as a member of

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

from 1985 to 1992 before being elected to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners (1992-1995). His final political role was as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

between 1995 and 1999.

Early life

Fox was born in Abington, Pennsylvania. He graduated from

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State becam ...

State College, Pennsylvania State College is a home rule municipality in Centre County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is a college town, dominated economically, culturally and demographically by the presence of the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania Sta ...

in 1969, and earned a J.D. from the Delaware School of Law (now

Widener University School of Law Widener University Delaware Law School (Delaware Law School and formerly Widener University School of Law) is a private law school in Wilmington, Delaware. It is one of two separate ABA-accredited law schools of Widener University. Widener ...

), in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Unami language, Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North ...

, in 1975. He served in the United States Air Force Reserve from 1969 to 1975. He held positions with the

General Services Administration The General Services Administration (GSA) is an independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. GSA supplies products and communications for U.S. gover ...

, and was a guest lecturer for the Presidential Classroom for Young Americans. From 1976 to 1984 he was assistant

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a ...

for the state of Pennsylvania.

Political career

Fox made his first successful run at political office in 1984, winning a seat in the

from the Abington area after Democrat Joe Hoeffel retired. He would serve in the House until the 1991

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

, when he challenged the incumbent GOP commissioners for a seat on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. Fox and Mario Mele defeated the incumbents and went on to win the general election. However, Fox, who believed that he would be elected chairman, was surprised when Mele nominated himself for the job, with Hoeffel seconding. In 1992, he ran unsuccessfully for Congress against Democrat Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, losing by less than 1,400 votes. However, Fox sought a rematch in 1994 and, with Mezvinsky saddled with a vote for a tax increase, Fox became part of the

Republican Revolution The "Republican Revolution", "Revolution of '94", or "Gingrich Revolution" are political slogans that refer to the Republican Party (GOP) success in the 1994 U.S. mid-term elections, which resulted in a net gain of 54 seats in the House of ...

. Fox was re-elected once, in 1996, defeating Hoeffel by 84 votes out of nearly 250,000 cast. In 1998, three Republicans, Mike McMonagle, Melissa Brown and Jonathan Newman challenged him in the GOP primary. Fox staved off the internal challenge and faced Hoeffel in a rematch for the general election. Fox also faced a backlash after the

impeachment Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

President Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

; the 13th, long a classic " Yankee Republican" district, had become increasingly friendly to Democrats in the 1990s. In November, Fox was unable to overcome these challenges and lost 51.6%–46.6%. After the election, Fox voted for all four articles of impeachment against Clinton. In 2004, State Representative Ellen Bard, who held Fox' old state house seat retired to run for Congress, and Fox was persuaded to run for the seat. Fox faced newcomer

Josh Shapiro Joshua David Shapiro (born June 20, 1973) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the Pennsylvania Attorney General since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the governor-elect of Pennsylvania. Raised in Montgomery ...

in a district that had become increasingly favorable to Democrats since his original tenure. His campaign did not gain traction with the electorate, and he was defeated 54.3%–44.7%.2004 General Election Results, ourcampaigns.com, 11/2/04
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Personal life

Fox lived in Abington with his wife, Judi, with whom he has a son, Will. He was active in the Republican Party as the Area Chairman for Abington Township. He practiced law and also worked as an instructor at

Manor College Manor College is a private Catholic college in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. It offers associate and bachelor's degrees and is best known for its veterinary technician and dental hygiene programs. To give students a hands-on learning experience, t ...

Jenkintown, Pennsylvania Jenkintown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It is approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of Center City Philadelphia. History The community was named for William Jenkins, a Welsh pioneer settler. Jenkintown is located just ...

. Fox died on February 11, 2018, of complications with cancer at age 70.

References

External links

* * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Jon D. 1947 births 2018 deaths Deaths from cancer in Pennsylvania Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Montgomery County Commissioners (Pennsylvania) Pennsylvania lawyers Pennsylvania State University alumni Military personnel from Pennsylvania United States Air Force officers United States Air Force reservists Widener University alumni Widener University School of Law alumni People from Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania People from Cheltenham, Pennsylvania 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American Jews Candidates in the 2004 United States elections

Early life

Political career

Personal life

See also

References

External links