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James G. Maguire

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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 byJohn T. Cutting
Succeeded byJulius 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 byMulti-member district
Succeeded byMulti-member district
Personal details
Born(1853-02-22)February 22, 1853
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedJune 20, 1920(1920-06-20) (aged 67)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Resting placeGreenlawn Memorial Park, Colma, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Other political
affiliations		Union Labor (1908)
Workingmen's (1881)
Spouse
Louisa J. Joyce
​
​
(m. 1881; died 1918)​
Children
  • Willis
  • Harold
  • Henry
OccupationBlacksmith, attorney, politician
Nickname“Little Giant”
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceCalifornia National Guard
Years of service1877
RankLieutenant
Unit2nd Regiment

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]

Early life and education

[edit]

James 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 c. 1910

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

[edit]

He 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

[edit]

Maguire 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]

[edit]
  • "My Whys"
    "My Whys"
  • "Too Heavily Handicapped"
    "Too Heavily Handicapped"
  • "In Union There Is Sometimes Family Trouble"
    "In Union There Is Sometimes Family Trouble"
  • "Candidate Maguire and Single Tax"
    "Candidate Maguire and Single Tax"
  • "The Lullaby of Nurse Maguire"
    "The Lullaby of Nurse Maguire"
  • "The Anvil Chorus"
    "The Anvil Chorus"
  • "Sandlot Vegetation"
    "Sandlot Vegetation"
  • "A Case of the Jim-Jams"
    "A Case of the Jim-Jams"

Electoral history

[edit]
1892 United States House of Representatives elections
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
1894 United States House of Representatives elections
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
1896 United States House of Representatives elections
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
1898 California gubernatorial election
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%
1908 United States House of Representatives elections
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]
  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ a b
  4. ^ "Admission Day". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco. 8 September 1877. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  5. ^ "Barnes the Sandlotter". The Capital. Los Angeles: Capital Publishing Company. 29 October 1898. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  6. ^ "James G. Maguire". JoinCalifornia. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  7. ^ "Programme of the W.P.C. and Democratic Conventions". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco. 3 July 1881. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ "Index to Politicians: Maguire". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
[edit]
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Governor of California
1898 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by
Three members
 California State Assemblyman, 13th District
1875-1877
(with three others) 		Succeeded by
Four members
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 4th congressional district
1893-1899 		Succeeded by


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