The Political Graveyard: Ottawa County, Mich.

Ottawa County
Michigan

Ottawa County information:

Population: 238,314 (2000); 187,768 (1990)
Land area 566 square miles.
County seat: Grand Haven
Ottawa County official web site.
Capital Impact: Ottawa County -- officials, addresses, and political, economic, education data
Fedstats/Mapstats: Ottawa County -- data on agriculture, population, immigration, business, crime, environment
Ottawa County MIGenWeb page -- genealogical, historical information and queries
(if this link doesn't work, find the new one through the USGenWeb national site).
Ottawa County page at Interment.Net (Cemetery Records Online).

Neighboring areas:

The Political Graveyard:

Selected officials of Ottawa County
Politicians who were born in Ottawa County
Politicians who lived in Ottawa County
Politicians who died in Ottawa County
Cemeteries and Memorial Sites of Politicians in Ottawa County

Assignment of birthplaces, deathplaces, and cemeteries to counties is subject to error. The intent is to locate places according to current county names and boundaries. If you don't find what you're looking for, check other nearby counties, the unassigned page, or the Gazetteer. Any corrections to county locations would be greatly appreciated. See contact information on the Main Page.

Selected officials of Ottawa County

(not intended to be complete)

Peter J. Danhof (Prosecuting Attorney, 1891-92) Walter H. Clark (County Treasurer, 1907-08) John R. Dethmers (Prosecuting Attorney, 1931-38) Riemer Van Til (County Treasurer, 1973-75) James K. Dressel (County Treasurer, 1977-78)

Georgetown Cemetery
Georgetown Township, Ottawa County, Michigan

Politicians buried here:

Melvin J. De Stigter (1928-2003) — of Hudsonville, Ottawa County, Mich. Born in Sioux Center, Sioux County, Iowa, November 21, 1928. Married 1950 to Carol Jean Schultze. Republican. School teacher; sales manager; member of Michigan state house of representatives 95th District, 1965-78; candidate in primary for Michigan state senate 23rd District, 1978; candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from Michigan 2nd District, 1992. Christian Reformed. Member, Jaycees. Died August 7, 2003. Interment at Georgetown Cemetery.

Unknown Location
Grand Haven, Ottawa County, Michigan

Politicians buried here:

Moses B. Hopkins (d. 1869) — of Michigan. Member of Michigan state house of representatives; circuit judge in Michigan 14th Circuit, 1867-69; died in office 1869. Died in 1869. Interment somewhere.

Lake Forest Cemetery
Grand Haven, Ottawa County, Michigan
Location maps, from U.S. Census Tiger Map Server:

Politicians buried here:

Thomas White Ferry (1827-1896) — also known as Thomas W. Ferry — of Grand Haven, Ottawa County, Mich. Born in Mackinac Island, Mackinac County, Mich., June 10, 1827. Member of Michigan state house of representatives from Kent District, 1851-52; member of Michigan state senate 31st District, 1857-58; delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1860; U.S. Representative from Michigan 4th District, 1865-71; U.S. Senator from Michigan, 1871-83. Died in Grand Haven, Ottawa County, Mich., October 13, 1896. Interment at Lake Forest Cemetery.
- See also: congressional biography.
Peter J. Danhof (1864-1944) — of Grand Haven, Ottawa County, Mich.; Grand Rapids, Kent County, Mich. Born in Grand Haven, Ottawa County, Mich., January 1, 1864. Son of John Danhof and Rensina Danhof; married, September 4, 1888, to Emile Walkley (c.1867-1951). Democrat. Lawyer; Ottawa County Prosecuting Attorney, 1891-92; law partner of Allen C. Adsit, 1901-12; candidate for circuit judge in Michigan 20th Circuit, 1911; superior court judge in Michigan of Grand Rapids, 1915; appointed 1915; Democratic candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 5th District, 1916, 1918, 1934 (primary). Christian Reformed. Dutch ancestry. Died in Grand Rapids, Kent County, Mich., January 3, 1944. Interment at Lake Forest Cemetery.
William M. Ferry (1824-1905) — of Michigan. Born in 1824. Member of University of Michigan board of regents, 1858-63; member of Michigan state constitutional commission 5th District, 1873. Died in 1905. Interment at Lake Forest Cemetery.
Alvin Enoch Ewing (d. 1945) — also known as Alvin E. Ewing — of Michigan. Progressive. Candidate for justice of Michigan state supreme court, 1915. Died in Grand Haven, Ottawa County, Mich., January 18, 1945. Interment at Lake Forest Cemetery.
Charles E. Misner — of Grand Haven, Ottawa County, Mich. Democrat. Candidate for Michigan state senate 23rd District, 1918; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1920, 1932 (alternate), 1936, 1940, 1944, 1948; candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1952. Interment at Lake Forest Cemetery.

Graafschap Cemetery
Holland, Ottawa County, Michigan

Politicians buried here:

Lucas Lugers (1853-1927) — also known as Luke Lugers — of Michigan. Born in a log house, Laketown Township, Allegan County, Mich., February 2, 1853. Republican. Member of Michigan state house of representatives from Ottawa County 1st District, 1899-1902; member of Michigan state senate 23rd District, 1907-08. Christian Reformed. Dutch ancestry. Died, of prostate cancer, in Holland, Ottawa County, Mich., December 25, 1927. Interment at Graafschap Cemetery.

Pilgrim Home Cemetery
Holland, Ottawa County, Michigan
Location maps, from U.S. Census Tiger Map Server:

Politicians buried here:

Gerrit John Diekema (1859-1930) — also known as Gerrit J. Diekema — of Holland, Ottawa County, Mich. Born in Holland, Ottawa County, Mich., March 27, 1859. Son of W. Diekema and H. (Stegeman) Diekema; married, October 27, 1885, to Mary E. Alcott. Republican. Lawyer; member of Michigan state house of representatives from Ottawa County 1st District, 1885-92; Speaker of the Michigan State House of Representatives, 1889-90; candidate for Michigan state attorney general, 1892; mayor of Holland, Mich., 1895; delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1896, 1924; Michigan Republican state chair, 1900-11, 1927-29; bank president; U.S. Representative from Michigan 5th District, 1908-11; defeated, 1910; candidate in primary for Governor of Michigan, 1916; U.S. Minister to Netherlands, 1929-30, died in office 1930. Died in Netherlands, December 20, 1930. Interment at Pilgrim Home Cemetery.
- See also: congressional biography.
Harold James Volkema (1930-1967) — also known as Harold J. Volkema; Hal Volkema — of Holland, Ottawa County, Mich. Born in Holland, Ottawa County, Mich., May 29, 1930. Republican. Sports announcer, WHTC radio; bookstore owner; member of Michigan state senate 23rd District, 1965-67; died in office 1967. Christian Reformed. Died, of a heart attack, December 17, 1967. Interment at Pilgrim Home Cemetery.
Louis J. Vanderburg (c.1875-1942) — of Holland, Ottawa County, Mich. Born in Grand Rapids, Kent County, Mich. Democrat. Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1924. Died in Holland, Ottawa County, Mich., 1942. Interment at Pilgrim Home Cemetery.

Spring Lake Township Cemetery
Spring Lake, Ottawa County, Michigan

Politicians buried here:

Jacob Ferris (1822-1889) — of Greenville, Montcalm County, Mich.; Kent County, Mich. Born in 1822. Member of Michigan state house of representatives from Montcalm District, 1859-60; delegate to Michigan state constitutional convention, 1867. Died in 1889. Interment at Spring Lake Township Cemetery.

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Henry L. Clinton, Apollo Hall, New York City, February 3, 1872

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Selected officials of Ottawa County

Politicians who were born in Ottawa County

Politicians who lived in Ottawa County

Politicians who died in Ottawa County

Cemeteries and Memorial Sites of Politicians in Ottawa County