Alonzo Patrick Fox

Alonzo Patrick Fox

Brigadier General Fox as assistant division commander of the 102nd Infantry Division during WW II
Born November 11, 1895
Saint Louis, Missouri
Died December 19, 1984 (aged 89)
Washington, D.C.
Buried at Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance  United States
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service 1917–1957
Rank Lieutenant General
Commands held War Department Personnel Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas
Battles/wars World War II
Korean War
Awards Distinguished Service Medal
Silver Star
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star
Other work Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for National Security Council Affairs

Alonzo Patrick Fox (November 11, 1895 – December 19, 1984) was a lieutenant general in the United States Army. He was prominent in the 1950s as a military advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for National Security Council Affairs following his retirement from the Army. General Fox was also the father in law of Alexander Haig.

Birth and early life

“Pat” Fox was born on November 11, 1895 in St. Louis, Missouri. He graduated from St. Louis University in 1917 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant of Infantry. During World War I he was stationed at Camp Funston, Kansas.[1][2][3]

Post World War I

Fox (second from left) as an R.O.T.C. instructor at the University of Maine in the mid-1930s

In 1921 Fox graduated from the Infantry School Basic Course.[4]

Fox served in the Philippines from 1923 to 1924 and Hawaii from 1932 to 1935.[5]

In 1932 Fox graduated from the Infantry School Advanced Course.[6]

In the mid-1930s Fox served as an assistant professor of military science for the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at the University of Maine at Orono.[7][8][9]

Fox graduated from the Army Command and General Staff College in 1938.[10][11]

From 1938 to 1942 Fox served as an Instructor at the Fort Benning Infantry School.[12]

World War II

When the U.S. entered World War II, Fox was promoted to brigadier general and in 1943 became assistant division commander of the 102nd Infantry Division, serving with the division through campaigns in northern France, the Rhineland and Central Europe.[13][14][15]

Post World War II

From 1945 to 1946 Fox served as commander of the War Department Personnel Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, where he was responsible for the demobilization and discharge of soldiers returning from World War II.[16]

In 1946 General Fox was appointed as a deputy chief of staff of the Supreme Command Allied Powers in Japan.[17][18][19][20]

Korean War

When the United Nations Command was formed during the Korean War Fox was named one of its deputy chiefs of staff. Fox participated in the Inchon landing in September 1950 and received the Silver Star.[21][22][23][24]

Post Korean War

The following year, General Fox was named the Army’s member of the Joint Strategic Survey Committee, a senior advisory group of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.[25][26]

From 1954 to 1955 Fox served as chief of staff for Allied Forces in Southern Europe.[27]

Fox served as military adviser to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs from 1955 to 1957.[28][29][30]

Retirement and awards

General Fox retired from the Army in 1957. His decorations included multiple awards of the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, and three Bronze Stars.[31][32]

Post military work

From 1957 to 1959 Fox served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for National Security Council Affairs.[33][34][35]

Death and burial

In retirement Fox resided in McLean, Virginia. He died at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. on December 19, 1984.[36] He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 2, Site 4735-G RH.[37]

Personal

Fox was married to Elizabeth Jordan (October 7, 1900 – February 20, 1964). Their children included a son, Army Colonel Eugene A. Fox, and a daughter, Patricia Fox. Patricia Fox was the wife of Alexander M. Haig Jr.[38][39]

References

  1. ↑ The American Catholic Who's Who, Volume 14 (1960-1961), by Walter Romig, Grosse Point, Michigan, 1960, page 156
  2. ↑ World War I Draft Registration Card, Alonso P. Fox
  3. ↑ 1920 U.S. Federal Census Entry for Alonzo P. Fox
  4. ↑ U.S. Army Directory, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1922, page 994
  5. ↑ The American Catholic Who's Who, Volume 14 (1960-1961), by Walter Romig, Grosse Point, Michigan, 1960, page 156
  6. ↑ U.S. Army Register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1949, page 181
  7. ↑ U.S. Army Directory, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1935, page 230
  8. ↑ U.S. Army Directory, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1936, page 229
  9. ↑ Yearbook, University of Maine, published by the University, 1937, page 30
  10. ↑ U.S. Army register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1937, page 232
  11. ↑ U.S. Army Register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1956, page 282
  12. ↑ U.S. Army Directory, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1939, page 246
  13. ↑ World War II Order of Battle, 102nd Infantry Division, United States Army Center of Military History
  14. ↑ Newspaper article, 102nd Infantry Division Reunion in Chicago, The Hamburg (Iowa) Reporter, July 9, 1953
  15. ↑ With the 102nd Infantry Division Through Germany, by Allan H. Mick, 1980, page 277
  16. ↑ Newspaper article, Unit of War Weary 36th Back in Texas, by Associated Press, published in the Port Arthur (Texas) News, June 22, 1945
  17. ↑ Hell or High Water: MacArthur's Landing at Inchon, by Walter J. Sheldon, 1968, page 95
  18. ↑ MacArthur's War: Korea and the Undoing of an American Hero, by Stanley Weintraub, 2001, page 357
  19. ↑ Remaking Japan: the American Occupation as New Deal, by Theodore Cohen and Herbert Passin,1987, page 134
  20. ↑ Newspaper article, Gen. Fox Named to MacArthur Staff, San Antonio Light, August 13, 1946
  21. ↑ Magazine Article, Danger Zones: Reconnaissance in Formosa, TIME Magazine, August 14, 1950
  22. ↑ Newspaper article, Silver Stars Awarded, by Associated press, published in the Palm Beach Post, October 16, 1950
  23. ↑ MacArthur's X Corps in Korea: Inchon to the Yalu, by Edward L. Daily, 1999, page 128
  24. ↑ America's Tenth Legion: X Corps in Korea, 1950, by Shelby L. Stanton, 1989, page 323
  25. ↑ Newspaper article, Formosa Raises its Hopes for Return to Mainland, New York Times, May 6, 1951
  26. ↑ Newspaper column, Washington Calling, by Marquis Childs, published by United Features Syndicate, Inc., published in Reading (Pennsylvania) Eagle, May 23, 1951
  27. ↑ Newspaper article, Staff Chief Named, Reading (Pennsylvania) Eagle, May 18, 1954
  28. ↑ Newspaper article, Legion is Urged to Push Air Study, New York Times, October 8, 1955
  29. ↑ Military Government Journal, published by the Military Government Association, 1956, Volume 8, page 21
  30. ↑ U.S. Army Register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1957, page 285
  31. ↑ Military Times, Hall of Heroes, Alphabetical Index, recipients of Major Military Awards
  32. ↑ U.S. Army Register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1956, page 282
  33. ↑ U.S. Army Directory, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1958, page 121
  34. ↑ Hearing Record, National Commission on Urban Problems U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, 1958, page 75
  35. ↑ United Nations Emergency Force: Hearings Before the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee International Organizations and Movement, 1958, page 46
  36. ↑ Social Security Death Index
  37. ↑ National Gravesite Locator, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
  38. ↑ The American Catholic Who's Who, Volume 14 (1960-1961), by Walter Romig, Grosse Point, Michigan, 1960, page 156
  39. ↑ Newspaper article, Alexander M. Haig Jr. Dies at 85; Was Forceful Aide to 2 Presidents, by Tim Weiner, New York Times, February 20, 1010