NAME, Years Elected to City Council
Charles Knox Marshall (1836-1909) served two terms on City Council: 1893 and 1895.
POLITICAL AFFILIATION
Municipal League2
BIO
Born in Missouri, Marshall came to Oakland in 1884. He was involved in business and (what else?) real estate. His grandfather was the first Supreme Court Justice of the United States, John Marshall.1 Before arriving in Oakland, he spent time in Solano County where he attended Charles M Blake's Collegiate Institute, later renamed St Augustine's Academy. He spent time in Yolo County. While in Oakland, Marshall lived at 1903 Telegraph.4
Marshall was one of the Councilmembers arrested in 1895.
Marshall had another run-in with the law in 1895, reminiscent of Jean Quan's later issues with blight. During his tenure on City Council, he proposed an ordinance, which passed, requiring the sidewalks in front of homes to be kept clean. Specifically, the ordinance referred to "the space between fences and between curbs where the sidewalk proper did not cover the entire width." This also meant that grass could not grow on the sidewalk. The Superintendent of Streets took a foot tour and found that many people were not in compliance, sent out about 200 notices, gave time to fix things up and then put out warrants for their arrest. Turns out, Marshall was the first one to fall prey to this, supposedly coincidentally. According to the Chronicle, "the ordinance is a dead letter." Whether this was because of Marshall's shame or the fact that at least 5 other prominent citizens were also busted is lost to posterity.5
OTHER POSITIONS IN CITY GOVERNMENT
REFERENCES
- "CHARLES K MARSHALL IS CARRIED TO LAST REST." San Francisco Chronicle: Sep 22, 1909.
- "CAMPAIGN AGAINST SALOONS IS BEGUN." San Francisco Chronicle: Feb 27, 1897.
- History of Solano County. Oakland: Wood, Alley & Co, 1879.
- "FUNERAL SERVICES OF PROMINENT OAKLANDER." The San Francisco Call: Sep 21, 1909.
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"OAKLAND NEWS: Councilman Marshall in a Plight." San Francisco Chronicle: May 12, 1895.
