Alexander Joseph Groesbeck (November 7, 1873[1] – March 10, 1953) was an American politician who served as attorney general and the 30th governor of Michigan.[2]
Alex Groesbeck | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 30th Governor of Michigan | |
| In office January 1, 1921 – January 1, 1927 | |
| Lieutenant | Thomas Read George W. Welsh |
| Preceded by | Albert Sleeper |
| Succeeded by | Fred W. Green |
| Attorney General of Michigan | |
| In office January 1, 1917 – January 1, 1921 | |
| Governor | Albert Sleeper |
| Preceded by | Grant Fellows |
| Succeeded by | Merlin Wiley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alexander Joseph Groesbeck November 7, 1873 Warren, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | March 10, 1953 (aged 79) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | University of Michigan (LLB) |
Early life
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Groesbeck was born in Warren, Michigan, the son of Macomb County Sheriff Louis Groesbeck and his wife Julia (Coquillard) Groesbeck.[2] Groesbeck attended the public schools of Mount Clemens, Michigan, and of Wallaceburg, Ontario, where his parents resided for two years with their family. Groesbeck wanted to become a lawyer from an early age, and undertook the study of law in the office of an attorney at Port Huron, Michigan. He went on to earn a law degree from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1893. He was admitted to the bar that year and set up practice in Detroit where he rapidly gained the "respect, goodwill and confidence of his colleagues, because of his close conformity to the highest ethical standards of the profession".[3]
Politics
editGroesbeck's entrance into state politics came in 1912 — he led efforts to select a delegation to the Republican National Convention favoring the renomination of President William Howard Taft. Groesbeck also actively led the party faction supporting Taft in the general election. That same year, Groesbeck was elected the state party chairman, serving until 1914.[3] In 1914, he was a candidate for governor of Michigan, but lost in the Republican primary election to Chase S. Osborn.[4] In 1916, Groesbeck was elected attorney general of Michigan, and was re-elected in 1918.
As reported in The New York Times, Attorney General Groesbeck supported a call for Henry Ford to run for the United States Senate as a Republican. This vision drew opposiotion from many other Republicans.[5]
In 1920, he won the Republican primary election for governor and defeated Democrat and former governor Woodbridge N. Ferris in the general election. After being re-elected in 1922 and 1924, Groesbeck lost to Fred W. Green in the 1926 Republican primary election.[4] In 1924, he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention, which chose President Calvin Coolidge to be re-elected. In addition to Groesbeck's political work, he was one of the builders of the Flint-Saginaw Interurban Railway.[3]
At the Detroit Club, he was instrumental in 1922 in selecting James Couzens to be the successful Republican candidate for the Senate seat left vacant by Truman Newberry.[6]
In 1925, Groesbeck vetoed legislation that would have created a state poet laureate. Time magazine reported:[7]
Forgetful of the state poets of republican Athens, the Governor's historical knowledge led him to describe the bill as "a reversion to monarchical customs" which "has no place in a republican form of government."
During his six years in office, the state's highway growth continued, prison reform measures were sanctioned, state titles for automobiles began, and state government was restructured and consolidated.
He was defeated in the 1930 Republican primary election by Wilber M. Brucker.[4]
Groesbeck is recognized as an important "road builder" in Michigan, being the first governor to champion the use of concrete and "take Michigan out of the mud."
In 1924, he opposed a ballot initiative (sponsored by the Public School Defense League) to require attendance at public schools and outlaw private ones; this placed him at odds with the position of the then increasingly popular Ku Klux Klan, which supported the opposing candidate, James Hamilton.[8]
Retirement, death and legacy
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Groesbeck was later appointed chairman of the Michigan Civil Service Commission, and served from 1941 to 1944. Also in 1944, he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention which nominated for U.S. president, Thomas Dewey, who would lose to the three-term President Franklin Roosevelt in the general election. He was also a member of the Detroit Bar Association, the Michigan Bar Association and the American Bar Association, and in club circles was well known as a member of the Detroit Club and the Detroit Athletic Club.[3]
Groesbeck's gubernatorial papers are kept in the Archives of the State of Michigan.[9]
He died in Detroit and is interred there at Woodlawn Cemetery.[2]
Groesbeck Highway (M-97) was named for the governor, both because of the local prominence of the Groesbeck family in Macomb county and Oakland County and because of his strong support for building roads and highways in Michigan.[10][11]
He is memorialized by a state historical marker[12] in the City of Warren.[13][14]
References
edit- ^ Alex J. Groesbeck: Portrait of a Public Man – "Groesbeck was born in Warren Township, Macomb County, but there is some confusion concerning the exact date. ... He always insisted the correct date was November 7, 1873 ..."
- ^ a b c "s.v. Groesbeck, Alexander Joseph (1873–1953)". The Political Graveyard. Archived from the original on June 14, 2006. Retrieved May 29, 2006.
- ^ a b c d Burton, Clarence M., ed. (2005) [1922]. "s.v. Alexander J. Groesbeck". The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701–1922. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Library. pp. 668–271. Retrieved May 29, 2006.
- ^ a b c "Michigan: Governors". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
- ^ "Michigan Republicans Split on Henry Ford – Attorney General Groesbeck Supports Him", June 18, 1918. The New York Times.
- ^ "Tradition" from The Detroit Club Archived April 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Free Fights, No Laureate". Time. May 18, 1925. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2006.
- ^ "Governor Groesbeck: Road Builder and Defender of School Choice". Mackinac Center.
- ^ "Archives of Michigan" (PDF).
- ^ "s.v. M-97". Michigan Highways. Archived from the original on June 15, 2006. Retrieved May 29, 2006.
- ^ "Governor Groesbeck: Road Builder and Defender of School Choice". Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Retrieved May 29, 2006.
- ^ "Governor Alex J. Groesbeck". Michigan Historical markers. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
- ^ "Warren Historical and Genealogical Society, Marker and Picture of Alexander Groesbeck". Archived from the original on May 17, 2008.
- ^ City of Warren, Alex Groesbeck historical marker information. Archived April 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
Further reading
edit- Fuller, George, Ed., Messages of the Governors of Michigan, Volume 4 (East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan State University Press) ISBN 0-87013-723-9; ISBN 978-0-87013-723-5.
- Woodford, Frank B. (1962) Alex J. Groesbeck Portrait of a Public Man (Detroit: Wayne State University Press) 1st Edition. Hardcover. ISBN 0-8063-0061-2. 366 pp.