John D. Saxe was an insurance broker.
In 1906, when their home at Lombard and Taylor was destroyed in the earthquake and fire, he and his wife Alice moved to Belvedere. In 1908 they bought a lot in Homestead Valley and built a house there.
In 1906, the Tamalpais Union High School District was formed by the union of the Sausalito and Mill Valley Elementary School Districts. Tam High opened in 1908.
In April 1909, John D, Saxe easily won an election to the Board of Trustees. In October 1909, he ran for election to the Board of Trustees of the Mill Valley Elementary School District. It had three schools: Summit, Homestead and Tamalpais Park.
The Marin Independent supported his opponent.
Surprise. Saxe won, reportedly owing to the zeal of voters in Homestead Valley. He served simultaneously on the Board of Trustees of both School Districts, and was re-elected to both in 1911.
In 1910, he was the Republican Party nominee for County Assessor. The Marin Journal endorsed him, stating, “This is a Republican county and there is no reason why the Republicans should give this important office to a Democrat.”
Surprise.
Saxe lost by 2 to 1.
(This vignette of Marin history was compiled by the Mill Valley Historical Society.)
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