James Henry Roxburgh (January 17, 1858 – February 21, 1934) was an American pressman, trade unionist and local historian who served as secretary of the San Francisco Pressmens' Union from 1890 to 1907. A longtime resident of the city's South of Market neighborhood, he wrote dozens of articles on the history of the area for the South of Market Journal.

Early life and career

Roxburgh grew up on Clementina Street and attended the Eighth Street Grammar School nearby. In his youth he worked at a bark mill and by 1875 he was employed as a pressman by Benjamin F. Sterett. He later worked at the Women's Co-operative Printing Union, the California Cigar Box Company, and the Santa Cruz Sentinel. He also played for the San Francisco "Alerts" baseball club and served as a delegate to the founding convention of the Amateur Baseball League of California in 1879.

Union career By Labor Day 1890, Roxburgh was serving as recording secretary of the Pressmens' Union No. 24 and on the executive committee of the Federated Trades Council. In 1891 he was elected recording secretary of the Federated Trades, serving in that position for one year. He remained secretary of the Pressmen until 1907, serving his last year under George L. Berry as president.

Political career

Roxburgh was an active member of the Workingmen's Party of California, serving as a delegate to its 1880 city convention. For the next 20 years he was a member of the Democratic Party, campaigning for the likes of James G. Maguire and Grover Cleveland. Though he broke from the party in 1894 to seek the Populist Party nomination for recorder of San Francisco, he returned to the fold soon after and in 1901 was elected president of the Thirty-sixth Assembly District Democratic Club. In 1899 he was identified with a faction pledged to boss Christopher Augustine Buckley.

In 1901, Roxburgh again broke from the Democratic Party to become a founding member of the Union Labor Party. He was elected to its county committee soon after and was identified with a faction associated with boss Abe Ruef. After Eugene Schmitz was elected mayor of San Francisco that November, Roxburgh was appointed deputy clerk of the Justices' Court the following January, but was suddenly dismissed just two months later. Although the chief clerk stated this was because he did not have enough work for him, The San Francisco Call and San Francisco Chronicle claimed the actual reason was that Roxburgh had made statements against Schmitz because he was jealous he did not receive a better position. In August Roxburgh claimed the pro-Ruef faction was circumventing party democracy to bring the organization under Ruef's control.

Roxburgh broke from Schmitz and the Union Labor Party in 1903, supporting Democrat Franklin Knight Lane for mayor. At a campaign rally held at Divisadero Hall, Roxburgh charged that Ruef had taken over the party and that it was no longer representative of organized labor. Two years later, Roxburgh reversed his position and endorsed Schmitz for reelection, insisting that labor had to unite against the Citizens' Alliance. During the campaign he served as president of the Allied Printing Trades Schmitz Club, and the following January he was appointed a copyist by Union Labor recorder John H. Nelson. By 1911 he had once more left the party and supported Republican James Rolph for mayor.

Later life and death Roxburgh worked as a janitor and shop mechanic for the San Francisco Department of Education for fifteen years, retiring on February 1, 1929. He died at the San Francisco Hospital on February 21, 1934, having suffered from internal injuries and pneumonia sustained after he was struck by a car the previous month. Newspaper obituaries later claimed he died at his home of a "brief illness."

Family Some sources have confused Roxburgh for his brother Joseph A. Roxburgh, a professional baseball player who played catcher in the Major Leagues from 1884 to 1887.

Works

Memories of the Past

References

External links

FoundSF - Women’s Co-operative Printing Union FoundSF - Unions and Employers 1880s-1890s FoundSF - South of Market Boys