Encouraged by an older sister to go to college, he saved money by working summers in Illinois canning peas and corn.

[6] In 1976, Fox founded the Harbour Group, an operating company that builds and acquires businesses where he served as chairman and CEO until 2007 when he left to be the U.S.

[4] Outside of St.Louis, Fox served on the boards of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, based in Alexandria, Virginia; the King Baudouin Foundation United States, a New York-based nonprofit that helps U.S. donors achieve their philanthropic goals in Europe and Africa;[8] and The Washington Center, the largest independent, nonprofit academic internship program in the United States.

In 2004, Washington University dedicated its new Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, and also awarded him an honorary doctorate of laws degree.

[13] Fox noted that he made the donation after comparisons of President Bush to Adolf Hitler were posted on the website MoveOn.org.

In later elections, Fox supported the presidential candidacy of Mitt Romney and remained one of the most prominent Jewish donors to the Republican party.

[15] President George W. Bush appointed Sam and Marilyn Fox to serve on the Honorary Delegation to accompany him to Jerusalem for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel in May 2008.

Danforth described him as "very bright...ebullient...(and) a soft touch," while Eagleton, in a letter, called him "the epitome of a humanitarian.

Kerry told Fox that he represented "the quintessential American Horatio Alger story"[19] and that his experience was "impressive... (and) a lot more than some people bring to this table.

In response to the question from Kerry, "I assume that you believe the truth in public life is important," Fox answered, "Yes, sir."

He noted that 527s supporting both candidates in the electorate had made "mean and destructive" claims, and that a video posted on the MoveOn.com website has compared the President to Hitler.

[21][22] Several Democratic Senators criticized Bush's decision to make a recess appointment when the nomination was no longer pending before Congress.

[24] Three Democratic senators wrote a letter to the Government Accountability Office on April 5, 2007, calling for an investigation of whether President Bush's appointment of Sam Fox as U.S. ambassador to Belgium the previous day was legal.

Indeed, the letter said "an alternative interpretation that would preclude Mr. Fox from serving in a recess appointment would raise serious constitutional questions.

"[28] The report gave Fox particularly high marks for "shepherding to production a 20-minute film that highlights the closeness of Belgian-U.S. ties from the early 19th century.

"[28]: 5 In 2012, three years after his term as Ambassador had ended, Fox's contributions were recognized with the Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown, bestowed by King Albert II.