Henry Fox (sportsman)

Henry Fox
Personal information
Full name
Henry Fox
Born(1856-09-30)30 September 1856.
Tonedale, Wellington, Somerset
Diedon or after 30 August 1888(1888-08-30) (aged 31)
Caucasus Mountains, Russian Empire
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1877–1882Somerset
FC debut8 June 1882 Somerset v Lancashire
Last FC4 August 1882 Somerset v MCC
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 3
Runs scored 16
Batting average 2.66
100s/50s 0/0
Top score 6
Catches/stumpings 0/0
Source: [1], 8 October 2015

Henry Fox (30 September 1856 – on or after 30 August 1888) was an English businessman, sportsman, and adventurer. He played cricket and rugby for his county, and began climbing mountains in the mid-1880s. He was part of the Fox family of Wellington, Somerset, and was a partner in the family business, Fox Brothers, a prominent textile manufacturer.

Fox played and financed cricket and rugby in Somerset; he played cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club from 1877 to 1882, and remained as a vice-president of the club until his death. He founded Wellington Rugby Football Club in 1874, and was an administrator and captain of the Somerset Rugby Football Union. After retiring as a rugby player, he continued to take part as an umpire. In 1884 he started mountaineering, and within two years he was well known in the mountain climbing community, and a well-regarded alpine explorer. In 1888, he and William Frederick Donkin travelled to the Caucasus Mountains in the Russian Empire in a bid to be the first ones to climb Koshtan-Tau. The pair, along with their Swiss guides, died in an accident during the expedition.