PoliticalGraveyard.com
The Political Graveyard: A Database of American History
Mayors and Postmasters of Lansing, Michigan

Mayors of Lansing, 1859-2012 (may be incomplete!)
Hiram H. Smith 1859 John A. Kerr 1860 William H. Chapman 1861-62 Ira H. Bartholomew 1863-65 William H. Haze 1866 George W. Peck 1867 Cyrus Hewitt 1868-69 Solomon W. Wright 1870 John Robson 1871 John S. Tooker 1872-73 Daniel W. Buck 1874-75 John S. Tooker 1876 Orlando M. Barnes 1877 Joseph E. Warner 1878 William Van Buren 1879-80 John Robson 1881 Orlando F. Barnes 1882-83 William Donovan 1884-85 Daniel W. Buck 1886 Jacob F. Schultz 1887 John Crotty 1888 James M. Turner 1889 Frank B. Johnson 1890-91 Arthur O. Bement 1892-93 Alroy A. Wilbur 1894 James M. Turner 1895 Russell C. Ostrander 1896-97 Charles J. Davis 1897-1900 James F. Hammell 1900-03 Hugh Lyons 1904-07 John S. Bennett 1908-11 J. Gottlieb Reutter 1912-18 Jacob W. Ferle 1918-20 Benjamin A. Kyes 1920-22 Jacob W. Ferle 1922 Silas S. Main 1922-23 Alfred H. Doughty 1923-27 Laird J. Troyer 1927-31 Peter F. Gray 1931-33 Max A. Templeton 1933-41 Arthur E. Stoppel 1941 Sam Street Hughes 1941-43 Ralph W. Crego 1943-61 Willard I. Bowerman, Jr. as of 1961-65 Max E. Murninghan as of 1965-69 Gerald W. Graves as of 1969-81 Terry J. McKane 1981-92 Jim Crawford 1992-93 David C. Hollister 1993-2003 Tony Benavides 2003-05 Virg Bernero 2005-

Events and Candidates (may be incomplete!)

  • 1880 Apr 5: William Van Buren (Rep), elected.
  • 1896 Apr 6: Russell C. Ostrander (Rep), elected; Shank (Dem), defeated.
  • 1900 Apr 2: James F. Hammell (Dem), elected; Horatio H. Larned (Rep), defeated.
  • 1902 Apr 7: James F. Hammell (Dem), elected; Hugh Lyons (Rep), defeated; W. S. Sly (Prohibition), defeated.
  • 1904 Apr 4: Hugh Lyons (Rep), elected.
  • 1908 Apr 6: John S. Bennett (Dem), elected.
  • 1912 Apr 1: J. Gottlieb Reutter (Dem), elected; Otto Ziegler (Rep), defeated.
  • 1914 Apr 6: J. Gottlieb Reutter (Dem), elected; Charles H. Davis, defeated; Seymour A. Ayres, defeated.
  • 1918 Apr 1: Jacob W. Ferle, elected; John S. Bennett, defeated.
  • 1920 Apr 5: Benjamin A. Kyes, elected; Jacob W. Ferle, defeated.
  • 1922 Apr 3: Jacob W. Ferle, elected; Benjamin A. Kyes, defeated.
  • 1922 Nov 6: Jacob W. Ferle, died in office.
  • 1923 Apr 2: Alfred H. Doughty, elected; William C. Walters, defeated; Benjamin A. Kyes, defeated.
  • 1924 Nov 4: Alfred H. Doughty, elected; Otto C. Kirchen, defeated; William C. Walters, defeated.
  • 1926 Nov 2: Laird J. Troyer, elected; Alfred H. Doughty, defeated.
  • 1928 Nov 6: Laird J. Troyer, elected; Alfred H. Doughty, defeated.
  • 1930 Nov 4: Peter F. Gray, elected; Laird J. Troyer, defeated; Herbert E. Chamberlain, defeated; Alfred H. Doughty, defeated.
  • 1932 Nov 8: Peter F. Gray, elected; Fred L. Kircher, defeated; Herman T. Busch, defeated; Robert J. Christie, defeated.
  • 1933 Jun 30: Peter F. Gray, resigned.
  • 1933 Nov 7: Max A. Templeton, elected; Fred L. Kircher, defeated; D. D. Harris, defeated; Harry G. Foster, defeated; William S. Kellogg, defeated.
  • 1934 Sep 11: Max A. Templeton, nominated; Fred L. Kircher, nominated; Ralph D. Moore, defeated in primary.
  • 1934 Nov 6: Max A. Templeton, elected; Fred L. Kircher, defeated.
  • 1936 Sep 15: Max A. Templeton, nominated; Alfred H. Doughty, nominated; Robert J. Christie, defeated in primary.
  • 1936 Nov 3: Max A. Templeton, elected; Alfred H. Doughty, defeated.
  • 1938 Sep 13: Max A. Templeton, nominated; Thomas T. O'Brien, nominated; Hazen C. Rutter, defeated in primary; Alfred H. Doughty, defeated in primary; Van W. Pilmore, defeated in primary.
  • 1938 Nov 8: Max A. Templeton, elected; Thomas T. O'Brien, defeated.
  • 1940 Nov 5: Thomas T. O'Brien, elected, but died before taking office; Max A. Templeton, defeated.
  • 1941 Feb 17: Sam Street Hughes, nominated; Fred L. Kircher, defeated in primary; Alfred H. Doughty, defeated in primary; Marshall S. Graham, defeated in primary.
  • 1941 Apr 7: Sam Street Hughes, elected unopposed.
  • 1942 Nov 3: Sam Street Hughes, elected; Ralph W. Crego, defeated.
  • 1943 Aug 10: Sam Street Hughes, resigned.
  • 1943 Nov 2: Ralph W. Crego, elected; John H. Russell, defeated.
  • 1944 Nov 7: Ralph W. Crego, elected unopposed.
  • 1946 Nov 5: Ralph W. Crego, elected; Catherine R. Freeland, defeated.
  • 1948 Nov 2: Ralph W. Crego, elected unopposed.
  • 1950 Nov 7: Ralph W. Crego, elected unopposed.
  • 1952 Nov 4: Ralph W. Crego, elected; LeRoy A. Brown, defeated.
  • 1954 Aug 3: Ralph W. Crego, nominated; Earl W. Coller, defeated in primary; LeRoy A. Brown, defeated in primary.
  • 1954 Nov 2: Ralph W. Crego, elected unopposed.
  • 1957 Feb 18: Frederick E. Tripp, nominated; Ralph W. Crego, nominated; Charles G. Hayden, defeated in primary; Kenneth D. Winter, defeated in primary.
  • 1957 Apr 1: Ralph W. Crego, elected; Frederick E. Tripp, defeated.
  • 1961 Feb 20: Ralph W. Crego, nominated; Willard I. Bowerman, Jr., nominated; Max E. Murninghan, defeated in primary; Horace J. Bradshaw, defeated in primary; John T. Anas, defeated in primary; Robert S. Brooks, defeated in primary; Glen E. Dean, defeated in primary.
  • 1961 Apr 3: Willard I. Bowerman, Jr., elected; Ralph W. Crego, defeated.
  • 1965 Feb 15: Max E. Murninghan, nominated; Willard I. Bowerman, Jr., nominated; Maurice E. Baldwin, defeated in primary.
  • 1965 Apr 5: Max E. Murninghan, elected; Willard I. Bowerman, Jr., defeated.
  • 1969 Feb 17: Gerald W. Graves, nominated; Max E. Murninghan, nominated; H. James Starr, defeated in primary.
  • 1969 Apr 7: Gerald W. Graves, elected; Max E. Murninghan, defeated.
  • 1973 Aug 7: Gerald W. Graves, nominated; Joel I. Ferguson, nominated; John T. Anas, defeated in primary; Jack W. Merrill, defeated in primary.
  • 1973 Nov 6: Gerald W. Graves, elected; Joel I. Ferguson, defeated.
  • 1977 Nov 8: Gerald W. Graves, elected; Terry J. McKane, defeated.
  • 1981 Aug 4: Terry J. McKane, nominated; George Stanley Lokken, nominated; Alan E. Tubbs, defeated in primary; John Assiff, defeated in primary; Orrin E. Sharp, defeated in primary.
  • 1981 Nov 3: Terry J. McKane, elected; George Stanley Lokken, defeated.
  • 1985 Nov 5: Terry J. McKane, elected; Louis F. Adado, defeated.
  • 1989 Aug 8: Terry J. McKane, nominated; Louis F. Adado, nominated; Doc C. Dart, defeated in primary.
  • 1989 Nov 7: Terry J. McKane, elected; Louis F. Adado, defeated.
  • 1992 Dec 29: Terry J. McKane, resigned; Jim Crawford, succeeded to office.
  • 1993 Aug 3: David C. Hollister, nominated; Jim Crawford, nominated; Charles Ford, defeated in primary; Ken Vaughn, defeated in primary; Michael Jon Panetta, defeated in primary; Peter Spagnuolo, defeated in primary; Mary Ann Prince, defeated in primary; Gerald A. Huckaba, defeated in primary; Kris Nicholoff, defeated in primary.
  • 1993 Nov 2: David C. Hollister, elected; Jim Crawford, defeated.
  • 1997 Aug 5: David C. Hollister, nominated; Ellen Beal, nominated; Robert Johnson, defeated in primary; Gerald A. Huckaba, defeated in primary; Russell Terry, defeated in primary.
  • 1997 Nov 4: David C. Hollister, elected; Ellen Beal, defeated.
  • 2003 Jan 28: David C. Hollister, resigned.
  • 2005 Aug 2: Virg Bernero, nominated; Tony Benavides, nominated; Lynne Martinez, defeated in primary; Dale M. Abronowitz, defeated in primary.
  • 2005 Nov 8: Virg Bernero, elected; Tony Benavides, defeated.
  • 2009 Nov 3: Virg Bernero, elected.

    Postmasters at Lansing, 1848-1977 (may be incomplete!)
    George W. Peck 1848-49 Whitney Jones 1849-53 Van S. Murphy 1853-59 Joseph M. Griswold 1859-61 Allen R. Burr 1861-62 Ephraim Longyear 1862-67 Whitney Jones 1867-71 Stephen D. Bingham 1871-85 George P. Sanford 1885-86 H. D. Pugh 1886-89 Seymour Foster 1889-93 Louis E. Rowley 1893-97 Seymour Foster 1897-1914 Peter F. Gray 1914-22 Walter G. Rogers 1922 Walter G. Rogers 1922-35 Claude E. Cady 1935 Claude E. Cady 1935-43 D. D. Harris 1943-44 D. D. Harris 1944-53 Fred W. Wirebaugh 1953 Lyle B. Austin 1953-54 Lyle B. Austin 1954-61 Joseph F. Attwood 1961 Berniece Corrine Hill 1961-64 Berniece Corrine Hill 1964-77

    • "Enjoy the hospitable entertainment of a political graveyard."
    Henry L. Clinton, Apollo Hall, New York City, February 3, 1872    		 The Political Graveyard

    The Political Graveyard is a web site about U.S. political history and cemeteries. Founded in 1996, it is the Internet's most comprehensive free source for American political biography, listing 312,576 politicians, living and dead.
      The listings are incomplete; development of the database is a continually ongoing project.  
      Information on this page — and on all other pages of this site — is believed to be accurate, but is not guaranteed. Users are advised to check with other sources before relying on any information here.  
      The official URL for this page is: https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/MI/ofc/lansing.html .  
      Links to this or any other Political Graveyard page are welcome, but specific page addresses may sometimes change as the site develops.  
      If you are searching for a specific named individual, try the alphabetical index of politicians.  
      More information: FAQ; privacy policy; cemetery links.  
      If you find any error or omission in The Political Graveyard, or if you have information to share, please see the biographical checklist and submission guidelines.  
    Copyright notices: (1) Facts are not subject to copyright; see Feist v. Rural Telephone. (2) Politician portraits displayed on this site are 70-pixel-wide monochrome thumbnail images, which I believe to constitute fair use under applicable copyright law. Where possible, each image is linked to its online source. However, requests from owners of copyrighted images to delete them from this site are honored. (3) Original material, programming, selection and arrangement are © 1996-2019 Lawrence Kestenbaum. (4) This work is also licensed for free non-commercial re-use, with attribution, under a Creative Commons License.
    Site information: The Political Graveyard is created and maintained by Lawrence Kestenbaum, who is solely responsible for its structure and content. — The mailing address is The Political Graveyard, P.O. Box 2563, Ann Arbor MI 48106. — This site is hosted by HDL. — The Political Graveyard opened on July 1, 1996; the last full revision was done on March 10, 2021.
    Creative Commons License Follow polgraveyard on Twitter [Amazon.com]