Foxhall Jones, better known as Foxy, died on Sunday in Salisbury, Conn., "quickly and peacefully with his wife, Kitty Benedict, at his side," according to the Lakeville Journal. He was 85.
A Marine in World War II who was wounded twice on Iwo Jima, Jones joined Harper, the predecessor of HarperCollins, shortly after graduating from the University of Virginia in 1947.
He was a legendary and much-beloved sales rep for 35 years in the Northeast. The Lakeville Journal noted that one bookseller always looked forward to his visits because "he was one of the few honest booksellers that actually read many of the books and would share his opinions about which books he thought would sell in that particular store."
The paper added: "It was one of those rare jobs where he got to do what he loved: talk about books, meet interesting people, sneak in a little golf and travel the northeast."
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Salisbury Visiting Nurse Association. A memorial will be held in several months.