BREWERY GEMS PROFILES: 
John G. Fox - Contract Brewer, Bottler & Manufacturer

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Fox & Co header

Biography of John G. Fox (1867 -1946)
 

This biography of John Gustav Fox is a compilation of early newspaper accounts, city directory listings, and family material. While the J.G. Fox Co. is best remembered for the soft drinks, oyster products, and shellfish teas, this article will focus on John's involvement with Seattle's brewing industry.

John was born on 7 Nov. 1867, in La Crosse, Wisc., to Johann A. Fox and Anna Dollinger, both of Bavaria. Johann was the proprietor of the Tivoli Hotel and beer garden, and prior to that he had been a stone mason and contractor.

John, Jr. left La Crosse for Seattle in July of 1891, and upon arrival assumed the duties as manager of a beer bottling works. This could not have happened without the help of a benefactor, and it was George F. Gund who offered this position to John.

John was well acquainted with the Gund family of brewers through his father's dealings¹ with the Gunds, but also through his association with John Gund, Jr. Both of these young men were members of the La Crosse Deutscher Verein. This was a German athletic association where Fox was 1st Gymnasiarch, and Gund, 2nd Gymnasiarch (supervisors of gymnastic contests). So, it's not surprising that one month after his arrival, John Fox was an active member of Seattle's Turn Verein (athletic club).

Prior to a tax regulation change in 1890, the Internal Revenue would not permit brewers to bottle their own beer, so outside bottlers were required. With the change effective on January 1st, Seattle's Claussen-Sweeney Brewing Co. opened their Washington Ice & Bottling Works on that very day.

In December of that year, George F. Gund arrived in Seattle from La Crosse, seeking business opportunities, and that following May of '91, he purchased 50% of the Claussen-Sweeney brewery and bottling works from Hans Claussen.

Claussen retained the ice production part of the business and in early 1892, along with two other partners, he established the Diamond Ice Company.

Wash. Ice & Bottling Co. c.1890

In January of 1893, George Gund orchestrated the merger of the Claussen-Sweeney Brewery with the Bay View and Braun breweries to form the Seattle Brewing & Malting Company. John Fox continued as manager of the now, SB&M Bottling Works.

John remained active with the Seattle Athletic Club, which doubled as a social organization. As a gymnast, he participated in exhibitions on the pommel horse, Indian clubs, and boxing. He also helped organize and officiate these events.

On the 5th of February, 1896, John married Mazie Henke, and their marriage notice in the newspapers stated that John Fox "was one of the best-known amateur athletes in the City."

1st Fox oyster Co. ad 1898While he was a competent manager, he was also an entrepreneur who wanted his own business. The Seattle City Directory for 1898, lists John as a wholesale and retail oyster merchant, and that year he purchased 65 acres of oyster land in Vaughn, WA. That same year, in June, this newspaper ad appeared for the Fox Oyster Co.

John was an accomplished artist and he designed the Fox trade-mark. The figure of the fox would be descending in his final version - as shown in the 1899 ad below. 

Fox Oyster Co. ad 1899John had a partner in the oyster company named, Gustavus "Gus" Zempel.  Gus was an amateur middle-weight boxer who John knew from the athletic club. They also employed, Henry Henke, John's brother-in-law.

It may seem odd that John would choose to enter the oyster business until you realize that oysters were consumed in large quantities in saloons. These were single, raw oysters served in a small glass jar with tomato juice, these 'shooters' were called Oyster Cocktails.

1898 was an especially significant year for John. By now, he had gained a financial interest in Seattle Brewing & Malting, and in August of '98, the trustees of SB&M voted him secretary of the company. He would hold the position of secretary for five years (Aug. '98 to Aug. '03).

J.G. Fox, sec. SB&M bus. card

In 1901, SB&M's trustees appointed him the position of general manager, to add to his responsibilities as secretary. In addition to his work with SB&M, John still had the Fox Oyster Co. to deal with, and yet he added another duty to his workload. As general manager he still held sway over the company's bottle works, and that March, he established the Bottlers' and Manufacturers' Protective Assn., and was elected its president.

As explained in a Seattle Daily Times article:

"The association had been formed by the bottling men to look after their interests. They have found that their bottles are being bought up by junk dealers and shipped out of the city, where they are being used again by dealers who sell inferior goods under the name and trade-mark, which is always blown in the bottles of reputable Seattle houses. There is a State bottle law which has not been enforced, but the Association proposes that stops be taken to put it into active operations."
While the concerns of the Association were obviously shared by SB&M, these issues would soon be of personal concern to John.

As a break from all his business dealings, John still involved himself in athletic activities. To that end, in Sept. of '01, he assumed the role of president of the Seattle Baseball Club, a minor league team belonging to the Pacific Northwest League.

By 1903, SB&M's demand for bottled goods had exploded, and they found it necessary to build another bottling works. They chose a spot adjacent to the Bay View plant and aptly named it the Bay View Bottling Works. John's continued position as secretary of SB&M was subject to the trustees' annual vote in August, and rather than remaining with the company he removed his name from consideration.

Having gained over 10 years of experience in bottling with them, he thought it time he start his own business and he formed J.G. Fox & Co. The Fox Oyster Co. business now operated as a division of the newly formed company.

 In late '02, he negotiated a lease agreement for SB&M's older bottling plant on the Grant St. Bridge - the original plant he started at in 1891. He renamed the plant, Rainier Soda & Bottling Works.

J. G. Fox & Co. header


Bohemian Beer label made by SB&MThe bottling operation would be a division of his newly formed J.G. Fox & Co. which would appear in the 1903 City Directory in three catagories: Oyster Cocktail Bottlers; Beer Bottlers; and Soda Bottlers.
 
He also contracted with SB&M to produce a Bohemian style lager to be bottled under the J.G. Fox Co. name - starting on his departure from the company. John would then have the sole responsibility for bottling, marketing and distribution of "Bohemian Beer," yet SB&M could offer it by the keg for draught (draft) sales.

Here is a (thunbnail) example of the 1903, Bohemian Beer label in which can be seen SB&M's logo in the upper left, and the Fox logo, with "sole bottler," barely legible below the image of Mt. Rainier, at lower right.

The first mention of Bohemian Beer in a newspaper was on 15 Dec. 1903, for a Rainier-Grand Hotel concert event where Bohemian Beer was offered, on draught, at 5 cents a glass.

The next mention was two weeks later, and it was an notice from the worker's union that it was boycotting both Rainier and Bohemian Beer. It stemmed from a dispute over hiring union workers as bartenders at the newly opened Butler Hotel. Edward Sweeney (vice pres. of SB&M) was a stockholder in the new hotel and refused to put pressure on hotel management to meet the union's demands.

Obviously, neither Seattle Brewing & Malting nor Rainier Soda & Bottling were involved in the dispute, and the union's ruling council found the boycott to be unfair and shut it down. However, this was not the last issue John was to have with the unions.

Fox beverages July 1904John did place the occasional ad for his products, but he relied heavily on point-of-sale advertising, ie. display signs in the retail establishments. One of the few newspaper ads that John placed in the summer of '04, is this very low-key ad. But it reveals that in a short period of time he was bottling up to 22 different beverages.

In 1905, with the union boycott behind him, John placed his first ad for "Bohemian Beer." He then began placing larger and more frequent ads in newspapers, including illustrated ads, and ads in German language papers.

Fox Bohemian Beer ad 1905

1905 was also the year that John added another beer to his line-up. This was with a St. Louis style lager. The label was similar to one used by Anheauser-Busch, but A-B didn't react to it - however, the Brewery Workers Union did. They placed this large ad in the Seattle Union Record on May27th.

Fake St.Louis Lager ad May 1905

It's not yet known whether or not John pulled his "St. Louis Lager" off the market, but he probably did, in order to avoid another boycott.

1906 would result in a major change for the J.G. Fox & Co. First, SB&M would build a new bottling works at the Sweeney plant (now called the Rainier plant) in Georgetown, in part due to the filling of Elliot Bay which resulted in the removal of the Grant St. Bridge -  home of Rainier Soda & Bottling. Consequently, in March, John purchased three lots at 5th Ave. N. & Republican, and built a new bottling works.  

In 1907, the Fox Co. was contracted by the Angeles Brewing & Malting Co. of Port Angeles to be their Seattle bottler/distributor of "Angeles Beer." This fit nicely with John's already successful beer and soft drink program.

Angeles Beer label bottled by Fox c.1907

The following year, a new sparkling fruit soda was to join the 32 Fox brands of beverages, but first, John ran a contest for the public to choose a name for the soda. In May of '08, a 14-year-old boy won $14 in gold for his winning entry. "Foxera" then became the 33rd beverage offered by the company.

Fox & Co. delivery wagon

The contest generated a positive response from the public, but the following month a report in the newspapers had the opposite effect. A bulletin from the State Food & Dairy Commission gave a failing grade to Fox & Co. for artificially coloring four of their beverages with coal tar. This was a common practice in the trade, and not illegal, but the report couldn't have been good for business.

Fox oyster season opens Sept.1909Ultimately, J. G. Fox & Co. suffered no serious harm and the beverage division flourished, as did their oyster division. Sept. 1st kicked off the oyster season and the company placed this ad for 1909. (thumbnail)

However, on 1 Jan. 1910, there was an upheaval. SB&M informed John that they were terminating their contract to provide "Bohemian Beer" to his Rainier Soda & Bottling Co., effective on 1 February. On 20 Feb. SB&M placed this announcement in the Seattle Daily Times:

"WARNING! Notice to the public is hereby given that since February 1, 1910, no Rainier products are being bottled in Seattle outside of the brewery. Heretofore RAINIER BEER has been bottled by outside bottlers, and placed on the market under the name of Seattle Brewing & Malting Co.'s beer, Bohemian Style. The Seattle Brewing & Malting Co., feeling that only the most sanitary bottling could keep their products up to the highest of standards, which they have set for them, have therefore discontinued outside bottling. All beers brewed by us will be bottled at the brewery and each package bear our trade mark, which is a guarantee of absolute purity. Rainier products are drawn direct from glass-lined storage tanks, through a glass-lined pipe line to the glass-lined tanks of the bottling works, and from there into the glass bottles, being handled by no one in transit or coming in contact with the air, thus ensuring the most sanitary conditions, which could only exist in an ideal plant equipped with up-to-date machinery such as we boast. Be sure the Seattle Brewing & Malting Co.'s trade mark is on each package and you will be guaranteed a product which has no equal in the market. Respectfully, Seattle Brewing & Malting Co."

Given that SB&M implied that John's bottling works were unsanitary, and the overall tone of their "warning" - it may have been that business relations between the two companies had cooled. Later that year SB&M introduced a "Baverian Beer" - which may have been a deliberate act to confuse the public and syphon off some of John's business. 

Since John had already been bottling Angeles B&M's beer, he immediately contracted with them to produce his beer, and on the 29th of January a trade-mark was filed with the state for a new "Bohemian Beer" label. This is the resulting label, which was also designed by John.

Bohemian Beer label by Fox

John appears to have been forward-thinking businessman. He embraced new marketing concepts and used advertising to its best advantage. He was also willing to try new improvements in bottling technology. In May of 1911, he took out a large,  quarter page ad to introduce a sparkling pineapple soda, that used a new style aluminum stopper² . He later placed an ad for his "Bohemian Beer" featuring this new stopper. Ultimately, they returned to the crown cap closure after frequent failures of the aluminum cap to hold a seal.

Bohemian Beer aad with aluminum stopper c.1911

Unfortunately, Angeles B&M was facing hard times. Two large markets were lost when Everett and Bellingham voted for the "local option" which closed those city's saloons. The brewery filed for bankruptcy, and soon were forced to sell.

The June 6, 1913 edition of the Seattle Daily Times reported:

"Andrew Blakistone, former general manager of the Seattle Brewing & Malting Co., has been elected vice-president and general manager of the reorganized Port Angeles Brewing Company."

The new company was renamed, the Angeles Brewery Company. Unfortunately, the new management failed to renew the bottling contract with John's Rainier Soda & Bottling Works to supply "Bohemian Beer." But this was not the last of the bad news.

In Nov. 1914, the citizens of Washington State bowed to the pressure brought by the Temperance movement and voted for state-wide Prohibition. This would abolish the manufacture and sale of all alcoholic beverages, effective 1 Jan. 1916. The lead time would give the brewers and distillers all of 1915 to sell their stock and convert their plants to other purposes. Many just closed and went out of business.

John was now out of the beer business for the foreseeable future. However, he still had his shellfish bottling business, as well as the soda manufacturing and bottling business that he could depend on. In fact, he had just secured a contract to bottle "Coca-Cola."

Yet the unions were still able to inflict pain if they didn't get their way, but in this case, the pain may have been self-inflicted. On the 1st of June 1915, with many breweries closed or preparing to, workers were seeking employment. John then decided to lower hourly rates by 25 cents. The brewery bottlers and wagon drivers refused to go along with this, and their union called for a strike and boycott of J.G. Fox & Co. for unfair labor practices. The strike and boycott lasted for a year, and on June 16, 1916, John relented.

The next few years were to be difficult for the country, and especially for John's soft drink business. State-wide Prohibition restricted alcoholic drinks which caused  the demand for non-alcoholic drinks to soar. John's line-up of beverages required large amounts of sugar, and the supply of sugar was about to be threatened.

The United States entered WW1 in April 1917, and soon the country was faced with a sugar shortage. The U.S. did produce its own sugar, largely through sugar cane plantations in Louisiana, but it also purchased a great deal of sugar from the Caribbean, particularly Cuba. Suddenly the movement of commodities by rail or sea was prioritized to transport men and materials overseas.

Sugar for ships 1917 poster

This 1917 poster from the United States Food Administration urged the public to reduce its consumption of soft drinks. It depicts a soldier standing on the shores of Europe, rifle in hand, beckoning and shouting "Hurry!" to steamships carrying supplies from the United States as he heads toward the dark clouds of war. At left, in the foreground, a fashionable young woman drinks from a giant soda fountain cup. By sucking on the straw, she diverts more than half of the steamships, these labeled "sugar," back to the United States and into her cup.

In the Fall of 1917, commercial enterprises like ice cream and soda producers were restricted to 70% of the previous year's usage. In Jan. 1918, an Alabama newspaper reported that: "The Coca-Cola bottling plant was on the verge of having to cease operations and close. An unexpected reason given for the shortage was the huge quantity of sugar used in the manufacture of “soft drinks” as a result of the enactment of prohibition."

On 11 November 1918, the war in Europe was over, but many restrictions remained.
J.G. Fox & Co. managed to survive mainly due to its beverage line-up. State-wide Prohibition prohibited the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages, but the consumption of these beverages was not. Out-of-state purveyors could ship beer or liquor to their customers for their personal use. John increased production of his low-sugar, or sugarless mixers, such as Carbonated Soda Water, Ginger Ale, Ginger Beer, Tom Collins, etc. Canada was the primary source for hard liquor by legal means, or otherwise.

John also had his shellfish products for a consistent source of income. One product that remains a mystery is his "Half and Half." With the mermaid figure of half woman and half fish, it may be the classic combination of tomato and clam juice. The use of the mermaid in  this other ad would seem to confirm that it is a seafood drink

Half and Half adFox seafood ad

The product line consisted of Clam Tea, Oyster Tea, Clam Cocktail, Oyster Cocktail, canned oysters, and Red Snapper which was a version of Clam Tea & tomatoes. The fox-handled cup was intended for the Hot Clam Tea.

Fox Hot Clam Tea adFox Clam Tea cup

On 16 January, 1920, the 18th amendment took effect and national prohibition became the law of the land. In the first six months of Prohibition, soda sales leaped by 200 percent and kept rising until the Great Depression.

John took advantage of this surge in demand and chose to expand his operation. On 11 August 1920, the Seattle Star published the item:

"By doubling the capacity of their plant at Fifth Ave. N. and Republican st., J. G. Fox & Co, makers of Fox Snappy Drinks, have acquired the largest soda water bottling works in Seattle. They have installed an up-to-date bottle washing machine which washes and sterilizes containers automatically. It is the only machine of its kind in the city."

By now he had contracts with major soft drink companies to bottle "Coco-Cola" and "Orange Crush," and with the improved bottling capabilities he added additional brands such as "Hires Root Beer" and "Brownie" (a milk chocolate beverage). He continued to develop new beverages for his Fox "Snappy Drinks" line. His "Old Emerald Ginger Ale" was well received, as it was a less sweet version, and made a better mixer.

Prohibition was repealed on April 7th, 1933, and with the prospect of beer flowing again, John decided to get back in that business. He became a minority owner in establishing a new brewing company on the site of the old Port Townsend Brewing Co. On 19 April '33 the old frame brew house was razed and construction of a three-story, brick, brew house commenced under the supervision of the new brewmaster, Albin Otto, formerly with the Claussen Brewing interests in Seattle. The new firm was incorporated on 20 July 1933, as the Peninsula Brewery.

John then contracted with the Brewery to produce his "Bohemian Beer." However, under new Internal Revenue regulations, he couldn't call it that. So, his "Old German Lager" was made using the formula of a famous German beer.

Old German Lager label for Fox c.1934Crown cap for Fox Old German Lager

In spite of this optimistic outlook, and additional capital stock being issued, the brewery shut down in early 1935. The addition of a bottling department had been planned, however, draught beer was all that they ever produced at the plant. It is not yet known if the brewery ever contracted with the Fox & Co. to bottle their beer with "Peninsula Beer" labels. 

With the Peninsula Brewery closure, John gave up on any further brewery contracts, and concentrated on his "Snappy Drinks" and mixers. Yet there was more trouble on the horizon.

Things were heating up in Europe, and in Sept. of 1939, WW2 began. The U.S. wishing to stay neutral, and with the military not ready for another conflict, was profiting from the conflict manufacturing military vehicles and equipment to the Allied forces. But with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7th, 1941, everything changed. As with the Great War, sugar-usage restrictions were imposed immediately by the Office of Production Management (OPM), the predecessor agency to the War Production Board (WPB). These restrictions went into effect on January 1, 1942, limiting sugar usage for Coca-Cola and other soft drink manufacturers to 70 percent of 1941 consumption.

Also, the production of bottle caps was greatly reduced as the metal was required for wartime production. This forced bottlers to move to quart sizes rather than single serving size bottles two save on the crown caps used.

J. G. Fox & Co., again survived the restrictions of a wartime economy, and John could continue formulating soft drinks. John's last creation was a soda he called "Foxy." It was introduced in Sept. of 1945, bearing a label designed by his daughter, Irene, an accomplished artist in her own right. However, this new product, along with all Fox's production would soon cease.

On 9 April, 1946, John G. Fox died at age 79. He was survived by his two daughters, Irene Austin and Edna Schaak. Both, Avery Austin, and Charles Schaak worked for their father-inlaw.

Unfortunately, John's wife, Mazie, had died in 1931, at age 54. Her death occurred just four days after a routine thyroid surgery. B.P.O.E Seattle Lodge No.92

John's obituary stated that he was a member of both the Seattle Elks Lodge, and the Washington Athletic Club. Having had a life-long involvement with athletics it's fitting that his heirs sold the three-lot location of his bottling works to make way for an athletic stadium³.



 

FOOTNOTES:

¹ John Fox, Sr. built The Empire Brewery for John Gund, in 1873. The structure was built entirely of stone. Also, Fox's Tivoli Beer Garden featured Gunds beer exclusively.

 ² This aluminium style stopper was tried again in Seattle by the Hemrich Brewing Co. in 1938. Again it was a failure.

 ³ The Seattle High School Memorial Stadium was built to honor the 762 public schools pupils killed in the Second World War. The Memorial Stadium still stands, and is located on the grounds of the Seattle Center.
  

 

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  • Special thanks to Fox great granddaughter, Tara Schaak, for sharing her family's personal history and memorabilia.

 

 


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