NAME, Years Elected to City Council

Julius S Wixson served on City Council for the 1901 term.

POLITICAL AFFILIATION

Independent2 (although it sounds like he was a Republican before he was really involved in politics)6

BIO

JS Wixson1

In addition to serving on the City Council, Julius Wixson ran a grocery store at 251 B Street -- which is now 1401 34th Street in West Oakland, at the southwest corner of 34th and Hollis Streets.3 The spelling Wixon is also used in Husted's directory and other locations, but Wixson is the correct spelling.

Julius was born in 1848 in Clarksville, New York. He came to California in 1874 and in 1875 married Sarah Etta Peckham, who was also originally from Clarksville, NY, but was then living in Oakland.  The Wixson family initially resided in Sierra Valley, California, before relocating to Oakland in the early 1890s, where Julius took over the daily operations of running his brother-in-law's grocery store.

While on Council, Wixson got in a fist fight with BC Cuvellier over Cuvellier's speechifying.4 Decorum was a big thing for Wixson: while a Director for the Merchants' Exchange, he got in a shouting match with another Director over allegations he felt were being made about other Director's characters. He was displeased that people were talking while he had the floor.5 Maybe he had a right to be touchy: He was a founding member of the Merchants' Exchange which got started in 1895.7

Wixson was involved in a very strange caper involving the poundmaster and some pigs. It appears that dead pigs were washing ashore of some body of water in Oakland. The numbers of dead pigs were at issue: was it 100 a day or 150 a month? It seems that the butchers were throwing their dead pigs in the water. No one on council really cared, the Chronicle reported, except for Wixson, who seemed determined to discredit the police department, specifically Chief St. Clair Hodgkins and make the poundmaster sound good.10 A month later, he accused Hodgkins of bribery: supposedly the Chief was receiving $400 a month to look the other way instead of enforcing a slot-machine ordinance. Hodgkins said the ordinance was ineffective but that he was doing the best that he could. The pig thing then came up again: he denied that he had accused the poundmaster of splitting money with the police.11 It turns out that Wixson himself had asked for a slot machine ordinance then ignored it when it was proposed to him and then denied asking for it. The City Attorney worked out a better ordinance and speculated that Wixson had ulterior motives.12

Wixson's temper followed him after he left politics. In 1904 he was accused of battery, though charges were dropped. A picketer was outside of his store protesting the sale of boycotted bread. Supposedly Wixson hit him on the head with a pick. The accuser said he didn't want to press charges.13 In 1908, Wixson was arrested for driving on the left side of the street. He got so mad that he threatened to "break" the cop who arrested him.14

Julius and Etta had 4 sons, Robert, Ernest, Clifford and Wilbur. Wilbur died at age 7 and Ernest died as a young man. Robert one ran for office while Clifford was an Alameda County Supervisor serving over 32 years in office. There was a Robert Wixson at the same time who was a frequent figure in the sports section: he was a rifleman, or whatever the name is for someone who shoots for sport.  

OTHER POSITIONS IN GOVERNMENT

While Mr. Wixson lived in Sierra Valley, he served as the Sierra County Superintendent of Schools from 1877-1882, and subsquently served as Sierra County Commissioner. 8915

REFERENCES

  1. "CITIZENS WILL BE CALLED UPON TO PAY TAXES THAT SHOULD COME FROM WATER CORPORATION." The San Francisco Call: Aug 8, 1901.
  2. "BURTCHAELL HAS DESERTED LEAGUE." San Francisco Chronicle: Mar 20, 1901.
  3. "Husted's Oakland, Alameda and Berkeley directory." 1906.
  4. "COUNCILMEN IN A FIST FIGHT: B. C. Cuvellier and Wixon Engage in a Combat." San Francisco Chronicle: Aug 30, 1901.
  5. "EXCHANGE MEMBERS ROW OVER NEW BUILDING SITE.: Personalities Are Indulged In and Blows Are Narrowly Avoided." San Francisco Chronicle: Aug 16, 1905.
  6. "Oakland Republicans." San Francisco Chronicle: May 19, 1898.
  7. "AN EXCHANGE ORGANIZED." San Francisco Chronicle: Feb 6, 1895.
  8. "Cohen's Legal and Commercial Guide." 1881.
  9. "Journal: Appendix. Reports, Volume 1." 1885.
  10. "THE PIG QUESTION." San Francisco Chronicle: Dec 3, 1901.
  11. "BRIBERY CHARGED AGAINST POLICE." San Francisco Chronicle: Jan 23, 1902.
  12. "JOHNSON STRIKES BACK AT WIXSON." San Francisco Chronicle: Mar 25, 1902.
  13. "WIXON CASE DISMISSED." San Francisco Chronicle: Jan 20, 1904.
  14. "EX-COUNCILMAN ARRESTED." San Francisco Call: July 14: 1908.

  15. Julius S. Wixson, Illustrated History of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra Counties, 1882

  16. Mrs. Wixson Keeps Son out of Saloon Trade, San Francisco Call, November 6, 1907

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