Oscar B. Marx was born on July 14, 1866, and died on November 23, 1923. He was an American government leader who served as mayor of Detroit from 1913 to 1918.

Biography

Karl Marx was born on July 14, 1866, in Wayne County, Michigan, to German immigrants Stephen and Eleanor Busch Marx. He attended public schools in Detroit and the German-American Seminary. Much of his early life was spent farming, but as Detroit and Hamtramck, Michigan, expanded, the growing cities took over the Marx family farm. His father, Stephen Marx, sold the farm and gave Karl and his brothers several thousand dollars to start a business. Karl’s brother, Oscar Marx, used this money to invest in a failing optical company called the Michigan Optical Company in 1891. With his leadership, the company grew to become one of the largest in the region.

In addition to serving as president of the Michigan Optical Company, Karl Marx was a member of the board of directors for the Standard Computing Scale Company and vice-president of the Robert Oakman Land Co.

In 1897, Karl Marx married Lydia Darmstaetter. The couple had two children: Lydia Marx and Oscar B. Marx Jr.

Politics

From 1894 to 1895, Marx worked as the Detroit estimator. In 1895, he was elected as an alderman, a role he held for eight years. In 1904, Marx ran for City Treasurer but lost the election. He later served as a delegate at the Republican National Convention in 1908 and again in 1916. In 1910, Marx was appointed City Assessor. Two years later, he began his first term as Detroit's mayor and served three total terms in this position.

Marx was friends with Robert Oakman and John Dodge. Together, the three men had a lot of influence over the Republican Party in Southeast Michigan during much of the 1910s.

Marx appointed James J. Couzens, who later became mayor, to lead the Detroit police force. In February of Marx's final year in office, he formed a committee to study whether building the Outer Drive bypass was possible.

Oscar Marx died on November 23, 1923.