James G. Maguire

Who was James G. Maguire?

James George Maguire was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from California.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Maguire moved with his parents to California in February 1854. He attended the public schools of Watsonville in Santa Cruz County and the private academy of Joseph K. Fallon. Maguire served as a member of the California State Assembly from 1875 to 1877, one of 20 members from the five San Francisco districts. He studied law and was admitted to the Bar by the Supreme Court of California in January 1878, commencing practice in San Francisco. McGuire then served as a judge of the Superior Court of the city and county of San Francisco from 1882 to 1888, before being elected as a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives for the Fifty-third, Fifty-fourth, and Fifty-fifth Congresses from March 4, 1893 to March 3, 1899.

In the 1898 state elections, Maguire unsuccessfully ran as the Democratic candidate for Governor of California, losing to Republican Henry Gage. After the election, he did not seek reelection to the U.S. House.

Maguire resumed his law practice in San Francisco, where he died on June 20, 1920. He is interred at Greenlawn Cemetery.