Anne Cox Chambers | |
|---|---|
| United States Ambassador toBelgium | |
| In office June 17, 1977 – January 17, 1981 | |
| President | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Leonard Firestone |
| Succeeded by | Charles H. Price II |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Anne Beau Cox (1919-12-01)December 1, 1919 Dayton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | January 31, 2020(2020-01-31) (aged 100) |
| Spouses | [1] |
| Children | Katharine Rayner Margaretta Taylor James Cox Chambers |
| Relatives | James M. Cox (father) Barbara Cox Anthony (sister) James C. Kennedy (nephew) Blair Parry-Okeden (niece) |
| Residence(s) | Atlanta, Georgia[2] |
| Education | Finch College[2] |
| Occupation | Media proprietor, diplomat, philanthropist |
| Known for | Primary owner ofCox Enterprises |
Anne Beau Cox Chambers (December 1, 1919 – January 31, 2020) was an American media proprietor,[3] diplomat, and philanthropist who served asUnited States Ambassador toBelgium from 1977 to 1981.[4] She co-owned the family companyCox Enterprises, a privately held media empire, with her sisterBarbara Cox Anthony for 33 years.[4][5] Her net worth was estimated byForbes at $16.1 billion in September 2014.[6][7][8]
Cox was born inDayton, Ohio. She was the daughter ofJames M. Cox, a newspaper publisher and politician who was the 1920Democratic Presidential nominee, and his second wife, Margaretta Parker Blair.[3] She attended theHacienda Del Sol School for Girls inTucson, Arizona, alongsideWoodrow Wilson’s granddaughters. She later attendedMiss Porter’s School inFarmington, Connecticut, andFinch College in New York.[4][1]
In 1974, upon the death of their brother, James M. Cox (known as "Jim Jr."), Chambers and her sister Barbara Cox Anthony gained a controlling interest in the family company. That same year Chambers became chairwoman of Atlanta Newspapers.[9] Anthony became chairwoman of Dayton Newspapers, while her husband, Garner Anthony, became the administrative head of Cox Enterprises,[4] a large media company that includes newspapers, television, radio, cable television, and other businesses.[9] In 1988 Anthony's son James Cox Kennedy became chairman and chief executive officer. Henceforth Chambers remained a close advisor concerning the daily operation of the company, serving as a director of it.[4]
Chambers was appointed ambassador to Belgium by U.S. presidentJimmy Carter, a post she held from 1977 to 1981.[10] She was a director of the board ofThe Coca-Cola Company during the 1980s, and she was the first woman inAtlanta to serve as a bank director (Fulton National Bank). She was also the first woman in Atlanta appointed to the board of the city'schamber of commerce.[4]
Chambers was a supporter of a wide range of cultural and educational charities, particularly relating to the arts and international affairs. She served on the boards of theAtlanta Botanical Garden, theAtlanta Historical Society, and theWoodruff Arts Center, as well as on the boards of theMetropolitan Museum of Art,the Pasteur Foundation, and theWhitney Museum in New York.[4] She was elected a Fellow of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2003.[11] In 1983, she received an honorary Doctor of Laws fromOglethorpe University.[12] Following her service in Belgium, she received the FrenchLegion of Honour award.[9]
Her work with theHigh Museum of Art began in 1965 when Chambers helped to establish the Forward Arts Foundation, a fund-raising group for the museum. In the early 1980s Chambers served as honorary chair of the fund-raising effort to construct the museum'sRichard Meier–designed complex. In October 2006, the High, in collaboration with theLouvre in Paris, France, presented the exhibition "Louvre Atlanta"; the partnership had been facilitated by Chambers.[4]
In 2005, the museum named one of the wings of its expanded facility after Chambers in recognition of her lifetime of support.[4]
Chambers was married to Louis G. Johnson with whom she had two daughters, Katherine and Margaretta. The marriage ended in divorce. In 1955, she married Robert William Chambers, with whom she had a son,James.[3][1]
Chambers died at her home in Atlanta on January 31, 2020, at the age of 100 due to natural causes.[3] Congressman Carter of Georgia included a note of remembrance in theCongressional Record on February 11, 2020.[13]
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Belgium 1977–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Chargé d'Affaires |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Minister Resident | ||
| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | ||
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
