James Cox Chambers

James Cox Chambers
Born1956 or 1957 (age 68–69)
Atlanta, Georgia, US
EducationBard College
OccupationsRenewable energy entrepreneur, biodynamic farmer, and filmmaker
Known for16.3% share in Cox Enterprises
Spouses
Lauren Hamilton
​
​
(m. 1982, divorced)​
​
(m. 2004)​
Children2, including Fergie
Parent(s)Robert W. Chambers
Anne Cox Chambers
RelativesJames M. Cox (grandfather)
Katharine Rayner (half-sister)
Margaretta Taylor (half-sister)
Barbara Cox Anthony (aunt)
James C. Kennedy (first cousin)
Blair Parry-Okeden (first cousin)
Margaret Hamilton (former-mother-in-law)

James Cox Chambers (born 1956/57) is an American billionaire heir, renewable energy businessman, and filmmaker. As of May 2022, his net worth was estimated at US$4.7 billion.

Early life

Chambers is the son of Robert (Bobby) W. Chambers and Anne Cox Chambers, the former US Ambassador to Belgium, and the grandson of newspaper publisher, three-time Governor of Ohio, and 1920 Democratic nominee for President James M. Cox. He has two half-sisters from his mother's first marriage, Katharine Ann Johnson and Margaretta Johnson, and two half-brothers from his father's first marriage. He graduated from Bard College in 1982.

Career

Chambers is a renewable energy businessman, biodynamic farmer, and filmmaker. Chambers is a co-owner of the Atlanta Hawks and publisher of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He is on the board of directors for the Communities in Schools. Chambers also served as the chair of the Board of Trustees of Bard College from 2015 to 2026.

Chambers appeared in the 1984 film Alphabet City.

Wealth

In 2015, his mother Anne Cox Chambers distributed her 49% share in Cox Enterprises equally among her three children. As of June 2018, his net worth is $6.3 billion.

Personal life

In 1982, Chambers married fellow Bard College alumna and actress Lauren Hamilton, the daughter of computer pioneer Margaret Hamilton and James Cox Hamilton, both of Cambridge, Massachusetts. They have a son, James "Jim" Cox Chambers Jr., also known as Fergie, who describes himself as a communist and a "professional revolutionary".

In 2004, Chambers married Nabila Khashoggi, daughter of billionaire Adnan Khashoggi. They have a son and live in Palisades, New York, US.

References

  1. 1 2 Brendan Coffey (November 20, 2015). "Three Cox Billionaires Minted as Matriarch Gives Away Wealth - Bloomberg Business". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Our National Leadership - Communities In Schools". www.communitiesinschools.org.
  3. 1 2 "Forbes profile: James Chambers". Forbes. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Our National Leadership - Communities In Schools". www.communitiesinschools.org. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 "James Cox Chambers". Communities In Schools. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  6. ↑ rcbizjournal (March 6, 2019). "Just One Rockland Resident Lands On Forbes' Billionaire's List". Rockland County Business Journal. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  7. ↑ Willis, Kris (December 4, 2015). "Who owns the Atlanta Hawks?". Peachtree Hoops. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  8. ↑ College, Bard. "Bard College Commencement 2021 at Bard College". www.bard.edu. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  9. ↑ Sachar, Emily (May 13, 2026). "Bard Trustees' Chairman, Alum and Billionaire James Cox Chambers, Leaves Board; Reason Unclear - The Daily Catch". The Daily Catch -. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  10. ↑ "James Cox Chambers". BFI. Archived from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Here Are The 198 New Billionaires Of 2016". Forbes.com. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Lauren Hamilton, Actress, Is Married In New York to James Cox Chambers". The New York Times. October 10, 1982. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  13. 1 2 Peisner, David (March 24, 2024). "Fergie Chambers is Heir to One of America's Richest Families -- and Determined to See the U.S. Fall". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Fall Bardian 2016". November 23, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2018.