re President's Day: No elected prez from Michigan...

**Al Publican** · February-20-13, 09:54 PM

Ohio leads the American League in elected presidents with something like five, but no Michigander has ever been elected to serve as president.

By my figuring only Lewis Cass and Sen. Arthur Vandenberg ever flirted with a chance at becoming president.

Cass served as secretary of war and state before the Civil War. His bio on Wiki says he is buried in Elmwood Cemetery. I thought he was buried in downtown Detroit. Who is buried in Capital Square?

Gerald Ford served as VP and prez but was, as we know, not elected to either office.

Were there others from Michigan that ran for prez or veep? I can't think of any.

**Hermod** · February-20-13, 09:59 PM

US Grant lived at Fort Wayne for a while prior to the war..

**Ray1936** · February-20-13, 10:34 PM

George Romney flirted with it. He was born in Mexico of LDS parents, so was considered a "natural-born" citizen and thus eligible. But he considered himself a Michiganian.

**firstandten** · February-21-13, 02:47 AM

Gee you forgot about Mitt so quickly

**Gistok** · February-21-13, 03:18 AM

The term "Elected" didn't stop Michigan from having a Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids and a Presidential Library in Ann Arbor.

Also... didn't Virginia lead in the Presidential count with 8?

**Cincinnati_Kid** · February-21-13, 10:37 AM

Originally Posted by firstandten

Gee you forgot about Mitt so quickly

He's easy to forget.

**Detroitnerd** · February-21-13, 10:54 AM

I don't really care. I mean, if a president's policies are good for Michigan, that's all that matters. If Virginia and Ohio are considered hatcheries of presidents, that may be all they've got going for them ...

Shollin · February-21-13, 11:59 AM

I would say Gerald Ford running for president and losing a close election would at least qualify as a flirtation.

**kenp** · February-21-13, 12:13 PM

Here is a flirtation from 2012, our own Thaddeus McCotter. What a dumb dumb

**DetroitPlanner** · February-21-13, 12:58 PM

Originally Posted by Al Publican

Cass served as secretary of war and state before the Civil War. His bio on Wiki says he is buried in Elmwood Cemetery. I thought he was buried in downtown Detroit. Who is buried in Capital Square?

Stevens T Mason was buried in Capitol Park. He was the first governor of Michigan. Capitol Park gets its name from being the site of Michigan's First Capitol. http://boyguv.com/

Capitol Park was also the first home of Detroit Central High School.

**Gistok** · February-21-13, 02:05 PM

Also... there were graveyards downtown [[St. Antoine St. had one), but all the bodies were dug up and reburied at Elmwood or Mt. Elliott [[or elsewhere?)

**renf** · February-21-13, 08:28 PM

George Herbert Walker Bush and his wife lived for several months in Trenton,
Michigan in 1944 when he was stationed at the Grosse Ile Naval Air base.
http://detroit1701.org/Grosse%20Ile%...20Station.html

Thomas Dewey did not live in Detroit. He was from Owasso. He carried the
nomination of the Republican Party into the 1944 presidential election and, in
1948 was the strong favorite to win the presidency. But, similar to Detroit's
Mitt Romey, he lost the presidential contest to a seemingly weaker Democrtic candidate.l

**gazhekwe** · February-21-13, 09:22 PM

Dewey who was born in Owosso, just north of Lansing, actually believed he was President when he went to bed Election Night, but...

**Detroit Stylin** · February-22-13, 10:18 AM

Frank Murphy

**Detroitnerd** · February-22-13, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by Detroit Stylin

Frank Murphy

Other than Lewis Cass, I'd have to say, yeah, Frank Murphy probably was the Michigander with the most distinguished U.S. political career.

**Pam** · February-22-13, 11:42 AM

Originally Posted by Detroit Stylin

Frank Murphy

Hey D-S, haven't seen you around in a while...

**kenp** · February-22-13, 01:31 PM

Originally Posted by Pam

Hey D-S, haven't seen you around in a while...

I saw a post from "The Rock" today as well, that is real rare

**stromberg2** · February-22-13, 03:38 PM

Yep, the legends don't appear on here too much anymore.

**Gistok** · February-22-13, 05:22 PM

Maybe if we post something really snarky about the west side... we'll get Jjaba back...

**Al Publican** · February-23-13, 08:23 PM

Was Lewis Cass ever on a presidential ticket?

I forgot about George Romney saying he was "brainwashed" when he was running for prez in 1968. Did he first say that on the Lou Gordon TV talk show

**downtownguy** · February-23-13, 09:15 PM

That's my recollection. I was just a whippersnapper, so I can't say it's an actual recollection, or something reinforced by reading history. But, I'm pretty sure that's a fact.

**Detroitnerd** · February-24-13, 03:36 PM

Originally Posted by Al Publican

Was Lewis Cass ever on a presidential ticket?

Yes, in 1848.

**Al Publican** · February-24-13, 06:07 PM

For what it's worth, I did not include Mitt Romney as possible presidential aspirants as he was registered to vote in Massachusetts when he ran for prez last year. I realize that he was born at Harper Hospital in 1947 and as a kid lived in Palmer Woods.

As for U.S. Grant, he certainly got around in the 1850s. Along with being posted at Fort Wayne in the 1850s, he also was posted at Eureka, California and Fort Vancouver, Washington. Mind you that his west coast postings had to be reached by crossing the Panama isthmus overland to catch a ship coming and going to the west coast; I don't think he sailed around South America.

Within about a 15 minute walk of where I now reside in Vancouver, WA is the "Grant House" in historic Fort Vancouver.

There was an historic plaque on the NW corner of the Detroit Fire Dept apparatus repair shop indicating that there was a US Army horse stable on that site when Grant was posted in Detroit. Curious if the plaque was ever replaced. The location of the plaque was down the street from the Roma Cafe; drawing a blank on the street names, Riopelle and something.

**renf** · February-24-13, 08:03 PM

Thanks for the information. I did not know that there was a plaque on the
Fire Department's equipment building commemorating a site linked to U. S,
Grant when he was posted at Fort Wayne. After his appointment in Detroit,
I thought that he was assigned to Sacketts Harbor on Lake Ontario in New
York. This was certainly a low point in his career since his superior may have
assumed that he will ill suited for command.

**EastsideAl** · February-24-13, 10:11 PM

Let's see, I get 4 major party nominees with a significant Michigan background.

Lewis Cass in 1848, born in New Hampshire and lived in Ohio, territorial governor of Michigan and an early senator from the state, and a major landholder.

Gerald Ford, who of course was already President [[albeit unelected) when he was nominated in 1976 - born in Nebraska, raised in Grand Rapids, graduated from U of M, represented Grand Rapids in the House for many years.

Thomas Dewey, 1944 and 48, born and raised in Owosso, U of M alum, but lived and worked in New York his entire professional life and ran for president as governor of NY.

Mitt Romney, 2012, born in Detroit, raised in Detroit and Bloomfield Hills, Cranbrook graduate, father was governor of Michigan, but made his professional and political name in Massachusetts, with some time in Utah.

One thing in common: all of them lost.