Charles James Fox (1749 - 1806)
Charles James Fox became an MP at the age of 19 and held several important offices, including being Foreign Secretary twice. He was a Georgian leader of fashion as well as a gambler, frittering away a fortune of a quarter of a million pounds. One of his best friends was the Duchess of Devonshire. He became a fervent supporter of Parliamentary reform, Catholic emancipation and abolition of the slave trade. In the House of Commons throughout 1806, Fox as Foreign Secretary, and William Wilberforce, led the campaign to abolish the slave trade. Fox made an important and very passionate speech in favour of abolition that June but he died shortly afterwards, six months before Parliament passed the Act that abolished the trade.