James G. Maguire

James G. Maguire
Portrait by C. M. Bell, 1894
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
January 2, 1883 – January 8, 1889
Preceded byCharles Halsey
Succeeded byJohn P. Hoge
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 13th district
In office
December 6, 1875 – December 3, 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.
PartyDemocratic (before 1887, after 1888)
United Labor (1887–1888)
Other political
affiliations		Workingmen's (1880–1881)
Populist (1898)
Silver Republican (1898)
Union Labor (1908)
Independence (1908)
Spouse
Louisa J. Joyce
​
​
(m. 1881; died 1918)​
Children
  • Willis
  • Harold
  • Henry
OccupationBlacksmith, attorney, politician
Signature
Nickname"Little Giant"
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceCalifornia National Guard
Years of service1875–1879
RankLieutenant
Unit3rd Infantry Regiment, Meagher Guard
Battles/warsSan Francisco Riot of 1877

James George Maguire (February 22, 1853 – June 20, 1920) was an American attorney, politician and Georgist who served in the California State Assembly from 1875 to 1877, the San Francisco County Superior Court from 1883 to 1889, and the United States House of Representatives 1893 to 1899. He was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for Governor of California in 1898, losing to Republican Henry T. Gage. Short in stature but weighing over two hundred pounds,[1] Maguire was nicknamed the "Little Giant,"[2] a sobriquet that came to be used by friends and foes alike.[3][4]

Early life and education

James George Maguire was born on February 22, 1853, in Boston, Massachusetts.[5] His parents were both Irish immigrants, his father from Donegal and his mother from Kildare.[6] Maguire moved with his parents to California in February 1854,[5] attending the public schools of Watsonville in Santa Cruz County and the private academy of Joseph K. Fallon.[5] Maguire apprenticed for four years as a blacksmith and taught school for a year and a half.[5] He served as a Lieutenant in the California National Guard[7][8] from 1875[9] to 1879,[10] during which he was called upon to help suppress the San Francisco Riots.[11]

Political career

Maguire c. 1877–1878, age 24
Maguire c. 1881–1882, age 28

Maguire entered public life through the Knights of Father Mathew,[12] in which he was active as early as 1874[13] and as late as 1880.[14] He 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.[15] He studied law and was admitted to the Bar by the Supreme Court of California in January 1878, commencing practice in San Francisco. One of his students[16] and clerks was assemblyman Jeremiah J. McCarthy.[17]

Following the adoption of a fusion agreement between the Democratic and Workingmen's Parties,[18] Maguire sought their nomination for judge of the San Francisco County Superior Court in 1880[19] and city attorney of San Francisco in 1881, but did not gain either.[20] He ran for judge again in 1882 and was elected, serving from 1883[21] to 1889.[22] Around this time, he became disillusioned with the Democratic Party, which he believed was under the control of political bosses and landlords. In 1887, he left the party for Henry George's United Labor Party,[23] in which he was active[24] until its dissolution in 1888.[25] He rejoined the Democratic Party soon after.[26]

U.S. Congress

Maguire was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 4th congressional district in 1892, serving in the 53rd, 54th, and 55th Congresses from March 4, 1893, to March 3, 1899. He was the ranking member of the House Committee on Immigration and Naturalization during his first term and the House Committee on Elections during his third. He authored the Maguire Act, which abolished the practice of imprisoning sailors who deserted from coastwise vessels.[27]

Maguire supported Chinese exclusion,[28] arguing that their "semibarbarism" threatened the "Caucasian civilization" of the United States. He also blamed "coolie labor" for low wages and high unemployment, stating:

...it is manifestly impossible to maintain one standard of wages for American labor and another for alien labor, competing in the same market, with natural opportunities equally closed against them.

— James G. Maguire, speech in the House of Representatives, October 13, 1893[29]

In line with this and the Democratic Party's anti-imperialism plank, he opposed the annexation of Hawaii.[30] Ironically, he was also involved with the California Afro-American League.[31]

On January 31, 1894, Maguire proposed an amendment to the Wilson–Gorman Tariff Act that would have established a national single tax. Intended as a substitute for the bill's proposed income tax, it would have levied a direct tax of $31,311,125 on land values nationwide. Only five others voted in favor: Michael D. Harter and Tom L. Johnson of Ohio, Charles Tracey and J. De Witt Warner of New York, and Jerry Simpson of Kansas.[32][33] After this was rejected, Maguire voted in favor of the original version of the bill[34][35][36] and the final version sent back by the Senate several months later.[37][38]

1898 California gubernatorial campaign

Main article: 1898 California gubernatorial election

In 1898, Maguire ran for Governor of California on a Democratic-Populist-Silver Republican Fusion ticket. He ran on a platform of anti-monopolism, support for the war with Spain, and opposition to the War Revenue Act of 1898.[39] He lost to Republican Henry T. Gage with 45% of the vote,[40] having been opposed by every major newspaper save for William Randolph Hearst's San Francisco Examiner.[41]

During the campaign, Maguire was denounced by Irish Catholic priest Peter Yorke for a book he wrote ten years prior, Ireland and The Pope, Adrian IV to Leo XIII, in which he argued that the subjugation of Ireland by the British Empire had been orchestrated by certain medieval Popes. Yorke's attacks were so severe that Patrick William Riordan, the Archbishop of San Francisco, had to distance himself, stating to the press: "Father Yorke is alone responsible for his utterances."[42]

Later career and death

After his loss, Maguire resumed his law practice in San Francisco. He served as a delegate to the 1900 and 1912 Democratic National Conventions, pledged to speaker Champ Clark at the latter.[43] Maguire did not seek re-election to the House until 1908, when he ran on a Democratic-Union Labor-Independence Fusion ticket[44] but was defeated by incumbent Julius Kahn. He ran for public office one last time in 1911, campaigning for District Attorney of San Francisco but losing in the primary to incumbent Charles Fickert.

Maguire died in San Francisco on June 20, 1920. A member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows since 1877,[45] his funeral was directed by the organization.[46] He is interred at Greenlawn Memorial Park in Colma, California.[47] A liberty ship, James G. Maguire, was named for him and launched in 1943.

  • "My Whys"
  • "The Crow Banquet"
  • "Scattering the Legal Vermin"
  • "Harping on the Same Old String"
  • "The Early Bird"
  • "Too Heavily Handicapped"
  • "Photo-Phrenological Studies"
  • "Pulling Different Ways"
  • "In Union There is Sometimes Family Trouble"
  • "Candidate Maguire and Single Tax"
  • "The Latest Addition"
  • "The Same Old Battle Cry"
  • "The Lullaby of Nurse Maguire"
  • "The Danger of Discord"
  • "The Anvil Chorus"
  • "In 1890"
  • "In 1898"
  • "Sandlot Vegetation"
  • "Something Dropped"
  • "A Case of the Jim-Jams"

Electoral history

1875 California State Assembly 13th district election[48]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic James G. Maguire 2,075 12.6
Democratic Frederick G. Raisch 1,968 12.0
Democratic Frederick A. Pullen 1,925 11.7
Democratic D. C. Sullivan 1,860 11.3
Independent H. C. Squires 1,336 8.1
Republican John Graham 1,250 7.6
Independent M. Blair 1,149 7.0
Republican J. M. Stockman 1,102 6.7
Independent C. G. Moxley 1,096 6.7
Republican William Robinson 1,080 6.6
Republican William Ede 1,044 6.6
Independent W. E. Stewart 534 3.3
Total votes 16,419 100.0
Turnout  
1882 San Francisco County Superior Court election[49][50]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic James V. Coffey 22,986 14.9
Democratic James G. Maguire 21,513 13.9
Democratic F. M. Clough 20,840 13.5
Democratic D. J. Toohy 19,990 12.9
Republican James A. Waymire 18,799 12.2
Republican Columbus Bartlett 17,051 11.0
Republican James M. Allen 16,852 10.9
Republican J. M. Troutt 16,612 10.7
Total votes 154,643 100.0
Turnout  
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
1911 San Francisco District Attorney primary election[51]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Charles Fickert (incumbent) 29,502 38.3
Nonpartisan Ralph L. Hathorn 28,226 36.6
Nonpartisan Emil Liess 4,817 6.2
Nonpartisan Daniel O'Connell 3,839 5.0
Nonpartisan Nathan G. Coghlan 2,907 3.8
Nonpartisan James G. Maguire 2,896 3.8
Nonpartisan Henry M. Owens 2,308 3.0
Nonpartisan John A. McGee 1,497 1.9
Nonpartisan O. C. Wilson 742 1.0
Nonpartisan Emil J. Kern 339 0.4
Total votes 77,073 100.0
Turnout  

Works

Books

  • Ireland and The Pope; A Brief History of Papal Intrigues Against Irish Liberty from Adrian IV to Leo XIII. San Francisco: James H. Barry. 1888.
  • Single-tax vs. Socialism: Debate between James G. Maguire and Job Harriman, June 16, 1895. With Job Harriman. San Francisco: American Section, Socialist Labor Party. 1895.[52]

Articles

Speeches

  • Direct Taxation of Land Values. Industrial Depressions. How to Make Labor Free. Speeches of Hon. James G. Maguire of California in the House of Representatives of the United States, January 11, 1894; October 13 and 14, 1893; August 23, 1893; August 26, 1893.
  • Chinese Exclusion. Speech of Hon. James G. Maguire of California in the House of Representatives, Friday and Saturday, October 13 and 14, 1893.
  • Silver. Speech of Hon. James G. Maguire of California in the House of Representatives, Friday, August 25, 1893.
  • Silver. Speech of Hon. James G. Maguire of California in the House of Representatives, Saturday, August 26, 1893.

References

  1. ^ "HIS VACANT CHAIR". The Twice-A-Week Courier-Journal. Louisville. 16 November 1898. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  2. ^ "HONORS TO MAGUIRE". San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco. 15 February 1893. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  3. ^ "THE LITTLE GIANT OF CALIFORNIA". The Examiner. San Francisco. 12 January 1897. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  4. ^ "The Single Taxers". The Wasp. Vol. XL, no. 10. 3 September 1898. p. 13. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d 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 Internet Archive.
  6. ^ "St. Patrick's Day Celebration". The Wasp. Vol. XVI, no. 503. San Francisco. 20 March 1886. p. 2. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  7. ^ "Admission Day". The Daily Examiner. San Francisco. 8 September 1877. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  8. ^ "A Legislatorial Soldier". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento. 19 October 1877. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  9. ^ "New Staff Officer". The Daily Examiner. San Francisco. 12 November 1875. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  10. ^ "Local Brevities". The Daily Examiner. San Francisco. 11 January 1879. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  11. ^ "Barnes the Sandlotter". The Capital. Los Angeles: Capital Publishing Company. 29 October 1898. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  12. ^ "California's Contribution". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. 12 October 1887. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  13. ^ "A Pleasant Evening". The Daily Examiner. San Francisco. 29 June 1874. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  14. ^ "Father Mathew Society". The San Francisco Call. San Francisco. 28 December 1880. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  15. ^ "James G. Maguire". JoinCalifornia. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  16. ^ Langley, Henry G. (1879). Langley's San Francisco Directory for the Year Commencing April, 1879. San Francisco: Directory Publishing Co. p. 578. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  17. ^ Langley's San Francisco Directory for the Year Commencing April, 1882. San Francisco: Directory Publishing Co. 1882. p. 648. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  18. ^ "POLITICAL". The Morning Call. San Francisco. 14 October 1880. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  19. ^ "THE WORKINGMEN". The Morning Call. San Francisco. 25 September 1880. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  20. ^ "Programme of the W.P.C. and Democratic Conventions". The Daily Examiner. San Francisco. 3 July 1881. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  21. ^ "Personal". Oakland Daily Times. Oakland. 3 January 1883. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  22. ^ "The Superior Judges". The San Francisco Call. San Francisco. 4 January 1889. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  23. ^ "OFF WITH THE OLD". The Standard. New York. 12 February 1887. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  24. ^ "UNITED LABOR PARTY". The Standard. New York. 15 October 1887. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  25. ^ "FROM JUDGE MAGUIRE". The Standard. New York. 11 February 1888. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  26. ^ "THE NON-PARTISANS". The San Francisco Call. San Francisco. 28 October 1888. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  27. ^ "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.
  28. ^ "Seventh Ward Club". San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco. 18 May 1876. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  29. ^ Maguire, James G. (1893). Chinese Exclusion. Speech of Hon. James G. Maguire of California in the House of Representatives, Friday and Saturday, October 13 and 14, 1893. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Publishing Office. pp. 3–4, 13, 25. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  30. ^ "TO ADOPT H.J.RES. 259 (JULY 7, 1898, 30 STAT 750), A RESOLUTION TO PROVIDE FOR ANNEXING THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. (P. 6018-1)". voteview.com. University of California, Los Angeles. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  31. ^ "AFRO-AMERICAN LEAGUE". The San Francisco Call. San Francisco. 24 July 1895. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  32. ^ Miller, Marion Milles (1913). Great Debates in American History. New York: Current Literature. pp. 407–408. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  33. ^ "HENRY GEORGE ON MONEY". The Paris Mercury. Paris. 16 March 1894. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  34. ^ 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.
  35. ^ "TO PASS H. R. 4864. (JP.130)". voteview.com. University of California, Los Angeles. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  36. ^ "THE WILSON BILL PASSED". Dodge Center Record. Dodge Center. 16 March 1894. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  37. ^ "TO PASS A RESOLUTION PROVIDING THAT THE ORDER REQUESTING A CONFERENCE WITH SENATE ON DISAGREEING VOTES OF THE TWO HOUSES ON H. R. 4864 BE RESCINDED, THAT CONFEREES APPOINTED BY HOUSE BE DISCHARGED FROM FURTHER DUTY IN THAT BEHALF AND HOUSE RECEDE FROM ITS DISAGREEMENT TO SENATE AMENDMENTS TO BILL AND AGREE TO SAME. (JP.564)". voteview.com. University of California, Los Angeles. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  38. ^ "House Vote on the Wilson Tariff, 1894". etc.usf.edu. University of South Florida. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  39. ^ "Maguire by acclamation". San Francisco Call. San Francisco. 19 August 1898. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  40. ^ California Secretary of State. California Blue Book, or State Roster 1899. Sacramento, California: State Printing Office. p. 227. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  41. ^ Roske, Ralph J. (1968). Everyman's Eden: A History of California. New York: Macmillan Publishers. p. 448. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  42. ^ Gaffey, James P. (1976). Citizen of No Mean City: Archbishop Patrick Riordan of San Francisco (1841-1914). Wilmington: Consortium Books. pp. 168–172. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  43. ^ Jordan, Frank C. (1913). California Blue Book, 1911. Sacramento: California State Printing Office. p. 441. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  44. ^ "SEVEN PARTIES GET PLACES ON BALLOT". The San Francisco Call. San Francisco. 4 October 1908. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  45. ^ Fifty Years of Odd Fellowship in California. San Francisco: Executive Committee Golden Jubilee Celebration, I. O. O. F. of California. 1899. p. 231. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  46. ^ "James G. Maguire, Noted Politician, Dies, Aged 67". San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco. 22 June 1920. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  47. ^ "Index to Politicians: Maguire". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
  48. ^ "REVISED RETURNS". The Daily Examiner. San Francisco. 7 September 1875. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  49. ^ "THE OFFICIAL COUNT". The Daily Examiner. San Francisco. 27 November 1882. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  50. ^ "ALL ONE WAY". San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco. 9 November 1882. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  51. ^ "CITY PRIMARY VOTE". The San Francisco Call. San Francisco. 20 October 1911. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  52. ^ Seretan, L. Glen (1979). Daniel DeLeon; The Odyssey of an American Marxist. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. p. 284. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
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