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Politicians in Mining in Michigan

  Charles Homer Baxter (b. 1879) — also known as Charles H. Baxter — of Loretto, Dickinson County, Mich.; Houghton, Houghton County, Mich. Born in Detroit, Wayne County, Mich., February 12, 1879. Republican. Mining engineer; college professor; delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1924. Member, Tau Beta Pi; Rotary; Freemasons. Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Son of Charles Ramsay Baxter and Margaret Ellen (Wright) Baxter; married, October 16, 1912, to Margaret Eleanor Scully.
  Charles Harry Benedict (b. 1876) — of Lake Linden, Houghton County, Mich. Born in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pa., September 24, 1876. Democrat. Metallurgist; worked for copper mining companies; inventor, ammonia leaching process for copper; director, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, 1919-23; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1920, 1928 (alternate). Jewish. Member, American Chemical Society; Freemasons. Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Son of Joseph Benedict and Hannah (Goldsmith) Benedict; married, February 4, 1902, to Lena Manson.
  James Price Briscoe (1894-1981) — also known as J. Price Briscoe — of Idaho Springs, Clear Creek County, Colo. Born in Detroit, Wayne County, Mich., October 23, 1894. Democrat. Mining executive; member of Colorado state senate, 1950. Member, Elks. Died in May, 1981 (age 86 years, 0 days). Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Married, June 19, 1920, to Frances Anne Webster.
  William Montague Ferry (1871-1938) — also known as William M. Ferry — of Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah. Born in Grand Haven, Ottawa County, Mich., March 12, 1871. Republican. Mining business; member of Utah state senate, 1911-15; mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah, 1915-19. Congregationalist. Died January 11, 1938 (age 66 years, 305 days). Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Son of Edward P. Ferry and Clara (White) Ferry; married 1896 to Ednah Truman.
  Edward F. Fisher (b. 1870) — of Dearborn, Wayne County, Mich. Born in Wayne, Wayne County, Mich., October 31, 1870. Republican. School teacher; physician; surgeon for Amalgamated Copper Co. coal mines in Wyoming; candidate for Michigan state senate, 1924 (5th District), 1926 (21st District); member of Michigan state house of representatives from Wayne County 5th District, 1929-36, 1941-44; defeated, 1944, 1950; candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 16th District, 1936. Burial location unknown.
  Thomas F. Francis (b. 1853) — of Ishpeming, Marquette County, Mich. Born in Redruth, Cornwall, England, 1853. Republican. Mining business; member of Michigan state house of representatives from Marquette County 2nd District, 1915-18, 1921-22; defeated in primary, 1922. Burial location unknown.
  George Girrbach (1890-1948) — of Sault Ste. Marie, Chippewa County, Mich. Born in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minn., March 30, 1890. Republican. School teacher; general manager and vice-president, Soo Creamery; secretary, Rudyard Woodworking Corp.; vice-president, Centralgoma Iron Mines, Ltd.; member of Michigan state senate 30th District, 1945-48; died in office 1948; candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 11th District, 1947. Member, Grange; Rotary; Elks; Freemasons; Knights Templar; Shriners; American Legion; Forty and Eight. Suffered a head injury in an automobile collision, and died the next day, in Hurley Hospital, Flint, Genesee County, Mich., May 24, 1948 (age 58 years, 55 days). Interment at Crystal Lake Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minn.
  Relatives: Married, September 15, 1917, to Ethel Mae McEachern.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
Walter F. Gries Walter Friedrich Gries (1892-1959) — also known as Walter F. Gries — of Laurium, Houghton County, Mich.; Marquette, Marquette County, Mich.; Negaunee, Marquette County, Mich. Born in Lake Linden, Houghton County, Mich., October 1, 1892. Republican. Served in the U.S. Navy during World War I; school teacher and principal; prison warden; superintendent, welfare department, Cleveland-Cliffs iron mining and shipping company; delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1952; member of Michigan state board of education, 1953-59. Member, Rotary. Died, while suffering from diabetes, in a hospital at Ishpeming, Marquette County, Mich., November 23, 1959 (age 67 years, 53 days). Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Son of John Gries and Ida J. (Tauppe) Gries; married to Velta Liste.
  Image source: Michigan Manual 1957-58
  Robert A. Haggerty — of Detroit, Wayne County, Mich. Born in Scranton, Lackawanna County, Pa. Democrat. Coal miner; automobile worker; financial secretary, Local 946, United Automobile Workers; financial secretary, Greater Detroit Maintenance and Power House Workers Council, UAW-CIO; Political Action Committee Coordinator for Wayne County Council CIO; constable; member of Michigan state senate 21st District, 1949-54; defeated in primary, 1954; candidate for Michigan state house of representatives from Wayne County 8th District, 1956, 1960. Member, United Auto Workers. Presumed deceased. Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Son of Michael Haggerty and Margaret Haggerty; married 1938 to Katherine Maguire.
  Michael Harris (b. 1852) — of Menominee County, Mich. Born in Ireland, September 19, 1852. Republican. Miner; lumberman; merchant; member of Michigan state house of representatives from Menominee County, 1905-10, 1917-18. Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Married 1872 to Margaret Barry.
  Frank Heath (1886-1954) — of Bay City, Bay County, Mich. Born in England, June 28, 1886. Republican. Coal mining superintendent; ice cream business; delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1940 (member, Committee to Notify Presidential Nominee); member of Michigan state senate 24th District, 1945-54; nominated, but died before the election 1954; died in office 1954; candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan. Episcopalian. Member, Freemasons; Lions. Died September 1, 1954 (age 68 years, 65 days). Burial location unknown.
  Frank Eugene Hook (1893-1982) — also known as Frank E. Hook; "Fightin' Frank" — of Ironwood, Gogebic County, Mich.; Edina, Hennepin County, Minn. Born in L'Anse, Baraga County, Mich., May 26, 1893. Democrat. Served in the U.S. Army during World War I; miner; lawyer; municipal judge in Michigan, 1924-25; U.S. Representative from Michigan 12th District, 1935-43, 1945-47; defeated, 1942 (12th District), 1946 (12th District), 1954 (12th District), 1956 (12th District), 1958 (12th District), 1966 (11th District); delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1936, 1940, 1944 (alternate), 1948; candidate for U.S. Senator from Michigan, 1948; candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan; candidate in primary for circuit judge in Michigan 32nd Circuit, 1957; president of radio station WJMS, Ironwood, Mich. Lutheran. Member, American Legion; Sigma Delta Kappa; Disabled American Veterans; Americans for Democratic Action. In February 1945, he was involved in a fist fight on the floor of the House of Representatives with John E. Rankin of Mississippi. Died in Edina, Hennepin County, Minn., June 21, 1982 (age 89 years, 26 days). Interment at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minn.
  Relatives: Married to Elsie C. Schneider.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
George Magoffin Humphrey George Magoffin Humphrey (1890-1970) — also known as George M. Humphrey — of Mentor, Lake County, Ohio. Born in Cheboygan, Cheboygan County, Mich., March 8, 1890. Lawyer; president, M.A. Hanna Company (mining and processing iron and nickel ores), 1929-52; chairman of Pittsburgh Consolidated Coal Company; chairman, Executive Committee, National Steel Corporation; U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, 1953-57. Episcopalian. Died, from heart disease, in University Hospital, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, January 20, 1970 (age 79 years, 318 days). Interment at Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio.
  Relatives: Son of Watts Sherman Humphrey and Caroline (Magoffin) Humphrey; married, January 15, 1913, to Pamela Stark.
  Humphrey House (offices, built 1965 and named for Humphrey, renovated and renamed Greenhill House 2004), at Harvard University Business School, Boston, Massachusetts, was named for him.
  See also Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier
  Image source: Eminent Americans (1954)
  James Franklin Jewell (1865-1943) — also known as James F. Jewell — of Hubbell, Houghton County, Mich. Born in Cornwall, England, 1865. Republican. Copper mine worker; member of Michigan state house of representatives, 1921-26, 1931-34 (Houghton County 2nd District 1921-26, Houghton County 1st District 1931-34); defeated, 1928, 1934. English ancestry. Died in 1943 (age about 78 years). Interment at Forest Hill Cemetery, Houghton, Mich.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  William Kelly (1854-1937) — of Vulcan, Dickinson County, Mich.; Iron Mountain, Dickinson County, Mich. Born in New York, New York County, N.Y., April 17, 1854. Republican. Mining engineer; delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1912 (alternate), 1916. Presbyterian. Member, Tau Beta Pi; Psi Upsilon; Rotary. Slipped and fell while descending steps, and died nine days later from his injuries, in Iron Mountain, Dickinson County, Mich., October 1, 1937 (age 83 years, 167 days). Interment at Everett Cemetery, Everett, Pa.
  Relatives: Son of Robert Kelly and Arietta A. (Hutton) Kelly; married, June 24, 1886, to Annie Ashcom; nephew of William Kelly (1807-1872).
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Austin Eugene Lathrop (1865-1950) — also known as Austin E. Lathrop; Cap Lathrop — of Fairbanks, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska; Cordova, Chugach census area, Alaska. Born in Lapeer, Lapeer County, Mich., October 5, 1865. Owner of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner newspaper, a chain of movie theaters, two radio stations, two banks, and the Healy River Coal Company; trustee, Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines, 1933-35, continuing as regent, University of Alaska, 1935-50. Killed in a railroad accident, at Healy, Denali Borough, Alaska, July 26, 1950 (age 84 years, 294 days). Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Son of Eugene Vernon Lathrop and Sarah (Parsons) Lathrop; first cousin six times removed of Benjamin Huntington; second cousin once removed of Alfred L. Lathrop (who married Barbara M. Lathrop); second cousin four times removed of Joshua Coit and Jedediah Sabin; second cousin five times removed of Samuel Huntington, Henry Huntington and Gurdon Huntington; third cousin of William Barret Ridgely; third cousin thrice removed of Ebenezer Huntington, Asahel Otis, Augustus Seymour Porter, Samuel Lathrop, Peter Buell Porter, Zina Hyde Jr. and Henry Sabin; fourth cousin once removed of Joseph Lyman Huntington, John Hall Brockway and Abial Lathrop.
  Political family: Kellogg-Adams-Seymour-Chapin family of Connecticut and New York (subset of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  David J. Leveque (b. 1882) — of Lake Linden, Houghton County, Mich. Born in Lake Linden, Houghton County, Mich., May 22, 1882. Republican. Banker; mining business; fruit farmer; member of Michigan state house of representatives from Houghton County 2nd District, 1917-18. French ancestry. Member, Knights of Columbus; Elks; Grange; Farm Bureau. Burial location unknown.
  Alexander Maitland (1844-1925) — of Negaunee, Marquette County, Mich. Born in Ayrshire, Scotland, June 20, 1844. Republican. Mining executive; mayor of Negaunee, Mich., 1889; member of Michigan state senate 31st District, 1897-1900; Lieutenant Governor of Michigan, 1903-06. Scottish ancestry. Died June 12, 1925 (age 80 years, 357 days). Interment at Negaunee Cemetery, Negaunee, Mich.
  James H. McDonald (1832-1889) — of Escanaba, Delta County, Mich. Born in Inverness, Scotland, March 15, 1832. Republican. Railroad builder; iron mining magnate; Lieutenant Governor of Michigan, 1887-89; died in office 1889. Killed in a train derailment, near Elmwood, Iron County, Mich., January 19, 1889 (age 56 years, 310 days). Interment at Lakeview Cemetery, Escanaba, Mich.
  Relatives: Married, February 28, 1854, to Eliza S. Holt.
  John Howard McLean (1860-1933) — also known as John H. McLean — of Iron Mountain, Dickinson County, Mich.; Ironwood, Gogebic County, Mich. Born in Neenah, Winnebago County, Wis., June 6, 1860. Republican. Mining and railroad executive; founder of Iron Mountain Press newspaper; Dickinson County Treasurer, 1897-98; delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1904. Catholic; later Protestant. Member, Freemasons; Shriners. Died, of a stroke, in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Calif., May 6, 1933 (age 72 years, 334 days). Interment at Fort Howard Memorial Park, Green Bay, Wis.
  Relatives: Nephew by marriage of Nelson W. Fisk.
  Patrick Henry O'Brien (1868-1956) — also known as Patrick H. O'Brien — of Superior, Douglas County, Wis.; Calumet, Houghton County, Mich.; Laurium, Houghton County, Mich.; Detroit, Wayne County, Mich. Born in Phoenix, Keweenaw County, Mich., March 15, 1868. Democrat. Miner; lawyer; candidate for Michigan state senate 32nd District, 1900; candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan, 1908 (12th District), 1930 (6th District); circuit judge in Michigan 12th Circuit, 1912-22; resigned 1922; defeated, 1935 (3rd Circuit); delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1912 (speaker), 1928 (alternate), 1932; candidate for justice of Michigan state supreme court, 1919, 1925; candidate for Governor of Michigan, 1932; Michigan state attorney general, 1933-34; defeated, 1934; candidate for mayor of Detroit, Mich., 1937; Wayne County Probate Judge, 1939. Member, American Bar Association; National Lawyers Guild; Knights of Columbus; Eagles; Elks. Died in Detroit, Wayne County, Mich., November 28, 1956 (age 88 years, 258 days). Burial location unknown.
  Presumably named for: Patrick Henry
  Relatives: Son of Patrick J. O'Brien and Mary (Green) O'Brien; married, January 23, 1897, to Bessie Kelly; married, May 26, 1926, to Florence E. (Haas) Ingram.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial — OurCampaigns candidate detail
  Joseph G. O'Connor (1904-1967) — of Lincoln Park, Wayne County, Mich.; Detroit, Wayne County, Mich. Born in Indianapolis, Marion County, Ind., May 24, 1904. Democrat. Trained as an engineer; gold assayer for Yellow Jacket Mining Co., Nevada; worked for Chrysler Corporation in the 1930s; executive board member, United Auto Workers Local 7, 1938; national representative to the Congress of Industrial Organizations, 1941-48; advertising business; member of Michigan state house of representatives, 1949-62 (Wayne County 1st District 1949-54, Wayne County 6th District 1955-62); defeated in primary, 1962. Catholic. Irish ancestry. Member, United Auto Workers; Moose; Elks; Eagles; Maccabees; Knights of Equity. Died in 1967 (age about 63 years). Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Married to Velma Eugen Jones.
  Alvin E. Richards (b. 1886) — of Marquette, Marquette County, Mich. Born in Soudan, St. Louis County, Minn., October 6, 1886. Republican. Mining superintendent; member of Michigan state house of representatives from Marquette County, 1947-54; defeated, 1954. Methodist. Member, Freemasons. Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Married, October 4, 1911, to Mae Cassidy.
  Henry F. Shea (1885-1967) — of Laurium, Houghton County, Mich. Born in Osceola Mine, Houghton County, Mich., April 15, 1885. Democrat. Miner; railroad trainman; plumber; steamfitter; candidate for Michigan state house of representatives from Houghton County 1st District, 1918; member of Michigan state senate 32nd District, 1937-40; defeated, 1940; charged on January 22, 1944 (along with 19 other current and former state legislators) with accepting bribes; tried, convicted, and sentenced to 3-5 years in prison; granted immunity from prosecution in return for his testimony in another bribery case, 1945. Member, Knights of Columbus; Eagles. Died in 1967 (age about 82 years). Burial location unknown.
  William Aloysius Sullivan (b. 1890) — also known as William A. Sullivan — of Globe, Gila County, Ariz. Born in Calumet, Houghton County, Mich., August 28, 1890. Democrat. Organizer, owner, Mine Supply and Hardware Co.; mayor of Globe, Ariz., 1934-46; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arizona, 1936, 1944 (alternate); secretary of Arizona Democratic Party, 1936-38; member of Arizona state senate, 1947-62. Catholic. Member, Elks; Knights of Columbus; Rotary; Toastmasters. Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Son of Sylvester J. Sullivan and Mary Ann (Murphy) Sullivan; married, September 2, 1916, to Gertrude Elizabeth Roberts.
  Charles A. Ward (b. 1859) — of Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, Mich. Born in Shelby, Macomb County, Mich., December 28, 1859. Democrat. Mining engineer; publisher of the Ann Arbor Argus-Democrat newspaper; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1892; member of Michigan state senate 10th District, 1899-1900; defeated, 1900. Burial location unknown.
  Matthew H. Watters (b. 1859) — of Ishpeming, Marquette County, Mich. Born in England, 1859. Republican. Miner; member of Michigan state house of representatives from Marquette County 2nd District, 1899-1900. Burial location unknown.
  Peter White (1820-1908) — of Marquette, Marquette County, Mich. Born in Rome, Oneida County, N.Y., October 31, 1820. Democrat. Merchant; lawyer; banker; founder of Cleveland Cliffs mining company; postmaster at Carp River, Mich., 1851-56; Marquette, Mich., 1856; member of Michigan state house of representatives from Chippewa District, 1857-58; member of Michigan state senate 32nd District, 1875-76; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1876, 1888, 1896; candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 11th District, 1882; member of University of Michigan board of regents, 1904-08; died in office 1908. Died in Marquette, Marquette County, Mich., 1908 (age about 87 years). Interment at Presque Isle Park, Marquette, Mich.
  James M. Wilcox (b. 1850) — of Calumet, Houghton County, Mich. Born in Wales, July 22, 1850. Republican. Mining superintendent; member of Michigan state house of representatives from Iron District, 1913-14; member of Michigan state senate 32nd District, 1917-28; defeated in primary, 1928. Welsh ancestry. Burial location unknown.
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