Oscar Marx
Encyclopedia
Oscar B. Marx was an American
political figure, who was mayor
of Detroit from 1913 to 1918.
, the son of German immigrants Stephen and Eleanor Busch Marx. Marx attended the Detroit public schools and the German-American Seminary, and spent much of his early life farming, but as Detroit and Hamtramck, Michigan
grew, the encroaching cities swallowed the Marx farm. Marx's father Stephen sold the farm, giving him and his brothers several thousand dollars to start a business. Oscar Marx used this money to buy into a bankrupt optical firm, the Michigan Optical Company, in 1891, and steered the company to become one of the largest in the region.
In addition to being president of the Michigan Optical Company, Marx was a member of the board of directors of the Standard Computing Scale Company and vice-president of the Robert Oakman Land Co.
In 1897, Marx married Lydia Darmstaetter; the couple had two choldren: Lydia Marx and Oscar B. Marx Jr.
(and was again a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1916
). In 1910, he was appointed City Assessor, and two years later saw his first term as Detroit's mayor. Marx served three terms in all as mayor.
Marx was friends with Robert Oakman and John Dodge
, and the three men controlled the Republican Party
in Southeast Michigan for much of the 1910s.
Marx appointed James J. Couzens
, the man who would become the next mayor, to take over the Detroit police force, and in February of his final year in office Marx created a committee to oversee the feasibility of construction the Outer Drive
bypass in the city.
Oscar Marx died on November 23, 1923.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
political figure, who was mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Detroit from 1913 to 1918.
Biography
Marx was born on July 14, 1866, in Wayne County, MichiganWayne County, Michigan
-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...
, the son of German immigrants Stephen and Eleanor Busch Marx. Marx attended the Detroit public schools and the German-American Seminary, and spent much of his early life farming, but as Detroit and Hamtramck, Michigan
Hamtramck, Michigan
Hamtramck is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 22,423. Hamtramck is surrounded by the city of Detroit except for a small portion of the western border that touches the similarly surrounded city of Highland Park...
grew, the encroaching cities swallowed the Marx farm. Marx's father Stephen sold the farm, giving him and his brothers several thousand dollars to start a business. Oscar Marx used this money to buy into a bankrupt optical firm, the Michigan Optical Company, in 1891, and steered the company to become one of the largest in the region.
In addition to being president of the Michigan Optical Company, Marx was a member of the board of directors of the Standard Computing Scale Company and vice-president of the Robert Oakman Land Co.
In 1897, Marx married Lydia Darmstaetter; the couple had two choldren: Lydia Marx and Oscar B. Marx Jr.
Politics
In 1894-95, Marx was the Detroit estimator-at-large. In 1895 he was elected as an alderman, a position he held for eight years. In 1904, Marx ran for City Treasurer, but was beaten. He served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 19081908 Republican National Convention
The 1908 Republican National Convention, the fourteenth presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States, was held in Chicago Coliseum, Chicago, Illinois on June 16 to June 19, 1908. It convened to nominate a successor to the popular GOP President, Theodore Roosevelt...
(and was again a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1916
1916 Republican National Convention
The 1916 Republican National Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois at the Chicago Coliseum, from June 7 to June 10, 1916. It nominated Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes of New York for president and former Vice President Charles Fairbanks of Indiana for a return to the vice presidency....
). In 1910, he was appointed City Assessor, and two years later saw his first term as Detroit's mayor. Marx served three terms in all as mayor.
Marx was friends with Robert Oakman and John Dodge
John Francis Dodge
John Francis Dodge was an American automobile manufacturing pioneer and co-founder of Dodge Brothers Company.-Biography:...
, and the three men controlled the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
in Southeast Michigan for much of the 1910s.
Marx appointed James J. Couzens
James J. Couzens
James J. Couzens was a U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan, the Mayor of Detroit, an industrialist, and philanthropist.-Early life and career:...
, the man who would become the next mayor, to take over the Detroit police force, and in February of his final year in office Marx created a committee to oversee the feasibility of construction the Outer Drive
Outer Drive
Outer Drive is a bypass road which encircles both the eastern and western portions of the Metro Detroit area. It resembles a jagged horseshoe and was not originally intended to move traffic as much as to provide a pleasurable drive around Detroit. This drive would include travel through beautiful...
bypass in the city.
Oscar Marx died on November 23, 1923.
External links
- Film of Oscar Marx's funeral from Detroit News Newsreels, courtesy of Wayne State University