Political Leaders of Bloomfield's Past
15. During the Detroit Race Riots a women named Deloris V. Little became supervisor of Bloomfield 16. Bloomfield Hills was growing because of what was going in Detroit and she wanted to make a change 17. She immediately made an impact with her planning and valuable opinions 18. In 1954 the population was 3,200 and five people ran the government 19. Deloris Little said, "In those days all five of us did everything, we worked as clerks, did building department jobs and even operated the police and fire radio" 20. Her two main beliefs that she abided by were common good and religion 21. She once said, "You simply learn to say no to all those whose private interests are not in the public interest" 22. These beliefs hold true today as we have a wide array of cultures and religions as well as a general interest in the common good of the people |
6. From 1931 to 1951 Perry A. Vaughan was the supervisor 7. Vaughan did not really have much of a political influence on the city and was given the job because of his family background 8. His family ancestors are one of the few pioneer families with having a house made in Bloomfield in 1824 9. After Vaughan, Arno L. Hulet took the job from 1951 to 1963 10. He was the first supervisor who had somewhat of a political influence on Bloomfield Hills 11. He lived in the area as well as held jobs to improve the community for most of his life 12. Mr. Hulet promoted education as the supervisor because he was once a teacher at Dondero high school...thought education was imperative to improve society 13. The book Bloomfield Blossoms remembers him as someone special to the community 14. It said, "He is very much missed, but he has left behind a legacy of statesmanlike qualities which have helped bring Bloomfield from its infancy to its present stature and maturity" |
Detroit
Past Political Leaders of Detroit
The city of Detroit has had 21 different mayors since the start of the 1920's. All of these mayors have been men and three of them (John Christian Lodge, John W. Smith, and Frank Couzens) served multiple terms as mayor. There is a group of eight of these 21 mayors that I feel have effected politics in Detroit over time more than the rest. These mayors are James Couzens, John Christian Lodge, Charles Bowles, Albert Cobo, Louis Miriani, Jerome Cavanaugh, Coleman Young, and Kwame Kilpatrick. I focused my research on these eight mayors and the positive or negative impact they had on Detroit Politics.
James Couzens- Couzens began his reign as mayor in 1919 and it left office in late 1922. Couzens was a bit unique in that he was an executive at Ford and he had already become rich before he got into Detroit politics. Even though he had great wealth his most important work while mayor was fighting for the poor. He battled against Detroit companies laying off workers and cutting wages. He though that it was stupid for companies to think about putting people out of a job when they were making so little in the first place. His work for the poor in Detroit went a long way in helping impoverished Detroit workers raise their standard of living at the time. This work is why the Detroit Free Press ranked James Couzens as the fifth best mayor in the history of the city in a recent article.
John Christian Lodge- Ledge served in three short separate terms throughout the 1920’s but he still managed to make a big positive impact on the city. He was the mayor that really oversaw the transformation of Detroit a little Midwestern town to and industrial superpower. He was all about consistence and stability so he opposed many of the radical things going on in government at the time and he successfully guided Detroit to become and industrial hub. This new industrial Detroit is the city that is described in the beginning of Arc of Justice and the social latter that this industrial city has is the root of the conflict in Arc of Justice. John C. Lodge’s work to bring Detroit into the industrial age has him rated as the third best mayor Detroit has ever had by the Detroit Free Press.
Charles Bowles- Bowles was mayor of Detroit for a very short period at the beginning of the 1930’s but he is so politically significant because of how he got into office. He was very much back by the Ku Klux Klan and he defeated the incumbent John Christian Lodge which only heightened racial tensions in the city. This relates to Arc of Justice because a racially intolerant mayor like Bowles was the last thing that blacks looking to advance wanted to see. However, Bowles ran a very unsuccessful and corrupt administration and was recalled after less than a year which has him rated as the third worst mayor in the history of Detroit by the Free Press.
Albert Cobo- Cobo began serving as mayor at the start of the 1950’s and he didn’t leave office until 1957. Cobo was in charge in a time of high racial tensions and his policies did nothing to help the situation. He spoke of how the white people in the city should be very cautious because the black population in the city was becoming restless and dangerous. He also did nothing to fix the housing discrimination in the city and he opposed subsidized housing for the poor which was bad news for many black Detroiters at the time. Overall his actions increased racial tensions throughout the city and were a big precursor to the race riots in the 1960’s. Albert Cobo’s actions stirred up racial tensions in the city and the Free Press rates him as the fourth worst mayor the city has had.
Louis Miriani- Miriani’s term succeeded Cobo and lasted until 1962. He ruled with great forced and was not very open to compromise during his time as mayor. This lead to an administration with little production and the Detroit’s condition worsened under Miriani. The unemployment rate rose, racial tensions further increased, the industry in the city dropped and white flight started all while Miriani was in power and he did very little to combat any of this which is why he is not looked fondly apron by historians. Miriani’s administration was also accused of having the police force radially profile African Americans which only heightened racial tensions leading into the race riots of 1967. This unsuccessful reign by Miriani has him rated as the fifth worst mayor in the city’s history by the Free Press.
Jerome Cavanaugh- Cavanaugh succeeded Miriani in 1962 and he was mayor all the way until 1970. He was a Democrat and he started a period of 8 straight Democratic mayors in Detroit that continues with Detroit’s current mayor Mike Duggan. Cavanaugh actually had a very successful rule as mayor as he poured money into the police department to improve the safety of the city. He also worked hard to obtain federal funding which he used to improve the city’s economy and implement affirmative action programs in the cities agencies. The one blemish on his term as mayor was the race riot in 1967 but many would say his positive impact on the city far outweighed the negative riots in 1967. That is why Cavanaugh is constantly thought of as one of the better mayors that Detroit has had even though he served in a tough time for the city.
Coleman Young- Young took office in 1974 and was the mayor of Detroit for the next 20 years. Early in his term he realized that the city was financially in trouble and he made cuts to many of the city programs (police, fire department, etc.) and he also raised the city income tax from 2% to 3%. All of this meant that the city was running at a surplus for the first time since the 1950’s. However, the long-term effects of these budget cuts and tax increases were detrimental to the health of the city. The high taxes drove businesses out of the city and his public relations antics made Detroit get a bad rap around the country. These things have led many to conclude that Coleman Young was ultimately a bad mayor for the city of Detroit.
Kwame Kilpatrick- Kilpatrick took office in 2002 and he is who many sources, including the Free Press, consider to be the worst mayor in Detroit’s history. He ran and incredibly corrupt administration where he made money off a suffering city. When the corruption of Kilpatrick’s administration was exposed it was a national embarrassment for an already struggling Detroit. Many would say this time was Detroit at its lowest point since it becoming an industrial power in the 1920’s.
In my opinion these eight mayors all played an important role in shaping the political scene and the development of Detroit since the 1920’s. The policies of James Couzens and John Christian Lodge are what allowed Detroit to rise up and become and industrial superpower in the 1920’s. After that the election of Charles Bowles and the views of Albert Cobo lead to an increase of racial tensions in the city. Then the Louis Miriani and Jerome Cavanaugh failed to use policy to combat the racials tensions and economic decline which culminated in the race riots in 1967. Finally, the corruption and failed policy of Coleman Young and Kwame Kilpatrick has drove the city into economic decline which we are trying to rebound from today.
The city of Detroit has had 21 different mayors since the start of the 1920's. All of these mayors have been men and three of them (John Christian Lodge, John W. Smith, and Frank Couzens) served multiple terms as mayor. There is a group of eight of these 21 mayors that I feel have effected politics in Detroit over time more than the rest. These mayors are James Couzens, John Christian Lodge, Charles Bowles, Albert Cobo, Louis Miriani, Jerome Cavanaugh, Coleman Young, and Kwame Kilpatrick. I focused my research on these eight mayors and the positive or negative impact they had on Detroit Politics.
James Couzens- Couzens began his reign as mayor in 1919 and it left office in late 1922. Couzens was a bit unique in that he was an executive at Ford and he had already become rich before he got into Detroit politics. Even though he had great wealth his most important work while mayor was fighting for the poor. He battled against Detroit companies laying off workers and cutting wages. He though that it was stupid for companies to think about putting people out of a job when they were making so little in the first place. His work for the poor in Detroit went a long way in helping impoverished Detroit workers raise their standard of living at the time. This work is why the Detroit Free Press ranked James Couzens as the fifth best mayor in the history of the city in a recent article.
John Christian Lodge- Ledge served in three short separate terms throughout the 1920’s but he still managed to make a big positive impact on the city. He was the mayor that really oversaw the transformation of Detroit a little Midwestern town to and industrial superpower. He was all about consistence and stability so he opposed many of the radical things going on in government at the time and he successfully guided Detroit to become and industrial hub. This new industrial Detroit is the city that is described in the beginning of Arc of Justice and the social latter that this industrial city has is the root of the conflict in Arc of Justice. John C. Lodge’s work to bring Detroit into the industrial age has him rated as the third best mayor Detroit has ever had by the Detroit Free Press.
Charles Bowles- Bowles was mayor of Detroit for a very short period at the beginning of the 1930’s but he is so politically significant because of how he got into office. He was very much back by the Ku Klux Klan and he defeated the incumbent John Christian Lodge which only heightened racial tensions in the city. This relates to Arc of Justice because a racially intolerant mayor like Bowles was the last thing that blacks looking to advance wanted to see. However, Bowles ran a very unsuccessful and corrupt administration and was recalled after less than a year which has him rated as the third worst mayor in the history of Detroit by the Free Press.
Albert Cobo- Cobo began serving as mayor at the start of the 1950’s and he didn’t leave office until 1957. Cobo was in charge in a time of high racial tensions and his policies did nothing to help the situation. He spoke of how the white people in the city should be very cautious because the black population in the city was becoming restless and dangerous. He also did nothing to fix the housing discrimination in the city and he opposed subsidized housing for the poor which was bad news for many black Detroiters at the time. Overall his actions increased racial tensions throughout the city and were a big precursor to the race riots in the 1960’s. Albert Cobo’s actions stirred up racial tensions in the city and the Free Press rates him as the fourth worst mayor the city has had.
Louis Miriani- Miriani’s term succeeded Cobo and lasted until 1962. He ruled with great forced and was not very open to compromise during his time as mayor. This lead to an administration with little production and the Detroit’s condition worsened under Miriani. The unemployment rate rose, racial tensions further increased, the industry in the city dropped and white flight started all while Miriani was in power and he did very little to combat any of this which is why he is not looked fondly apron by historians. Miriani’s administration was also accused of having the police force radially profile African Americans which only heightened racial tensions leading into the race riots of 1967. This unsuccessful reign by Miriani has him rated as the fifth worst mayor in the city’s history by the Free Press.
Jerome Cavanaugh- Cavanaugh succeeded Miriani in 1962 and he was mayor all the way until 1970. He was a Democrat and he started a period of 8 straight Democratic mayors in Detroit that continues with Detroit’s current mayor Mike Duggan. Cavanaugh actually had a very successful rule as mayor as he poured money into the police department to improve the safety of the city. He also worked hard to obtain federal funding which he used to improve the city’s economy and implement affirmative action programs in the cities agencies. The one blemish on his term as mayor was the race riot in 1967 but many would say his positive impact on the city far outweighed the negative riots in 1967. That is why Cavanaugh is constantly thought of as one of the better mayors that Detroit has had even though he served in a tough time for the city.
Coleman Young- Young took office in 1974 and was the mayor of Detroit for the next 20 years. Early in his term he realized that the city was financially in trouble and he made cuts to many of the city programs (police, fire department, etc.) and he also raised the city income tax from 2% to 3%. All of this meant that the city was running at a surplus for the first time since the 1950’s. However, the long-term effects of these budget cuts and tax increases were detrimental to the health of the city. The high taxes drove businesses out of the city and his public relations antics made Detroit get a bad rap around the country. These things have led many to conclude that Coleman Young was ultimately a bad mayor for the city of Detroit.
Kwame Kilpatrick- Kilpatrick took office in 2002 and he is who many sources, including the Free Press, consider to be the worst mayor in Detroit’s history. He ran and incredibly corrupt administration where he made money off a suffering city. When the corruption of Kilpatrick’s administration was exposed it was a national embarrassment for an already struggling Detroit. Many would say this time was Detroit at its lowest point since it becoming an industrial power in the 1920’s.
In my opinion these eight mayors all played an important role in shaping the political scene and the development of Detroit since the 1920’s. The policies of James Couzens and John Christian Lodge are what allowed Detroit to rise up and become and industrial superpower in the 1920’s. After that the election of Charles Bowles and the views of Albert Cobo lead to an increase of racial tensions in the city. Then the Louis Miriani and Jerome Cavanaugh failed to use policy to combat the racials tensions and economic decline which culminated in the race riots in 1967. Finally, the corruption and failed policy of Coleman Young and Kwame Kilpatrick has drove the city into economic decline which we are trying to rebound from today.