James George Maguire (February 22, 1853 – June 20, 1920) was an American politician, judge, and Georgist,[1] who served in the California State Assembly from 1875 to 1877, the San Francisco County Superior Court from 1882 to 1888, and the United States House of Representatives 1893 to 1899.[2]
James G. Maguire | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by C. M. Bell, c. 1894–1901 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 4th district | |
| In office March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1899 | |
| Preceded by | John T. Cutting |
| Succeeded by | Julius Kahn |
| Judge of the San Francisco County Superior Court | |
| In office 1882–1888 | |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 13th district | |
| In office 1875–1877 | |
| Preceded by | Multi-member district |
| Succeeded by | Multi-member district |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 22, 1853 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | June 20, 1920 (aged 67) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Greenlawn Memorial Park, Colma, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Other political affiliations | Union Labor (1908) Workingmen's (1881) |
| Spouse |
Louisa J. Joyce
(m. 1881; died 1918) |
| Children |
|
| Occupation | Blacksmith, attorney, politician |
| Nickname | “Little Giant” |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service | California National Guard |
| Years of service | 1877 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit | 2nd Regiment |
Early life and education
editJames George Maguire was born on February 22, 1853, in Boston, Massachusetts.[2] Maguire moved with his parents to California in February 1854.[2] He attended the public schools of Watsonville in Santa Cruz County and the private academy of Joseph K. Fallon.[2][3] For four years he apprenticed as a blacksmith.[2] He served as a Lieutenant in the California National Guard in 1877,[4] during which he was called upon to help suppress the San Francisco Riots.[5]
Political career
edit
Maguire served as a member of the California State Assembly from 1875 to 1877, one of 20 members from the five San Francisco districts. At just 22 years old, he was the youngest member of the Legislature.[6] He studied law and was admitted to the Bar by the Supreme Court of California in January 1878, commencing practice in San Francisco. In 1881, Maguire sought the Democratic and Workingmen's nominations for City Attorney of San Francisco, but did not gain either.[7] The next year, he was elected a judge of the Superior Court of the City and County of San Francisco, serving from 1882 to 1888.
U.S. Congress
editHe was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 4th congressional district, serving in the 53rd, 54th, and 55th Congresses from March 4, 1893, to March 3, 1899.[3] He authored the Maguire Act, which abolished the practice of imprisoning sailors who deserted from coastwise vessels.[8]
In the 1898 state elections, Maguire unsuccessfully ran as the Democratic candidate for Governor of California, losing to Republican Henry Gage. He did not seek re-election to the House until 1908, when he lost to incumbent Julius Kahn.
Later career and death
editMaguire resumed his law practice in San Francisco. He ran for public office one last time, running for District Attorney of San Francisco in 1911 but losing in the primary to incumbent Charles Fickert. He died in San Francisco on June 20, 1920. He is interred at Greenlawn Memorial Park in Colma, California.[9]
Gallery
edit-
"My Whys" -
"Too Heavily Handicapped" -
"In Union There Is Sometimes Family Trouble" -
"Candidate Maguire and Single Tax" -
"The Lullaby of Nurse Maguire" -
"The Anvil Chorus" -
"Sandlot Vegetation" -
"A Case of the Jim-Jams"
Electoral history
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James G. Maguire | 14,997 | 49.2 | |||
| Republican | Charles O. Alexander | 13,226 | 43.4 | |||
| Populist | Edgar P. Burman | 1,980 | 6.5 | |||
| Prohibition | Henry Collins | 296 | 1.0 | |||
| Total votes | 30,499 | 100.0 | ||||
| Turnout | ||||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James G. Maguire (Incumbent) | 14,748 | 48.3 | |
| Republican | Thomas B. Shannon | 9,785 | 32.0 | |
| Populist | B. K. Collier | 5,627 | 18.4 | |
| Prohibition | Joseph Rowell | 388 | 1.3 | |
| Total votes | 30,548 | 100.0 | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James G. Maguire (Incumbent) | 19,074 | 61.0 | |
| Republican | Thomas B. O'Brien | 10,940 | 35.0 | |
| Socialist Labor | E. T. Kingsley | 968 | 3.0 | |
| Prohibition | Joseph Rowell | 299 | 1.0 | |
| Total votes | 31,281 | 100.0 | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Henry Gage | 148,354 | 51.68% | +12.76% | |
| Democratic | James G. Maguire | 129,261 | 45.03% | +5.69% | |
| Socialist Labor | Job Harriman | 5,143 | 1.79 | +1.79% | |
| Prohibition | Joseph E. McComas | 4,297 | 1.50 | −2.21% | |
| Scattering | 9 | 0.00% | |||
| Majority | 19,093 | 6.65% | |||
| Total votes | 287,064 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | +7.07% | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Julius Kahn (incumbent) | 9,202 | 52.7 | |
| Democratic | James G. Maguire | 7,497 | 42.9 | |
| Socialist | K. J. Doyle | 699 | 4.0 | |
| Prohibition | William N. Meserve | 60 | 0.3 | |
| Total votes | 17,458 | 100.0 | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Republican hold | ||||
References
edit- ^ Lough, Alexandra W. (September 2013). "The Federal Income Tax and the Georgist Movement" (PDF). GroundSwell, V. 26, No. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 22, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Shuck, Oscar Tully (1901). History of the Bench and Bar of California: Being Biographies of Many Remarkable Men, a Store of Humorous and Pathetic Recollections, Accounts of Important Legislation and Extraordinary Cases, Comprehending the Judicial History of the State. Commercial Printing House. pp. 722–725 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b
- United States Congress. "James G. Maguire (id: M000059)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- ^ "Admission Day". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco. 8 September 1877. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ "Barnes the Sandlotter". The Capital. Los Angeles: Capital Publishing Company. 29 October 1898. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ "James G. Maguire". JoinCalifornia. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ "Programme of the W.P.C. and Democratic Conventions". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco. 3 July 1881. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ "Crisis at Sea: Flags-of-convenience: A Maritime Trades Department Report" (PDF). Sailors Union of the Pacific. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2003-04-05. Retrieved 2007-04-02.
- ^ "Index to Politicians: Maguire". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
- United States Congress. "James G. Maguire (id: M000059)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
External links
edit- Join California James G. Maguire
Media related to James G. Maguire at Wikimedia Commons
