BREWERY GEMS PROFILES:
John G. Fox - Contract Brewer, Bottler & Manufacturer
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.
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."
While 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.
John 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).
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."
The 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.
John
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ultimately,
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Article by
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Special thanks to Fox great granddaughter,
Tara Schaak, for sharing her family's personal history and memorabilia.
Copyright © 2024 by BreweryGems
~ All Rights Reserved."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."
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