1959 in Michigan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Events from the year 1959 in Michigan.

Top stories[]

The Associated Press[1] and Detroit Free Press[2] ranked the top Michigan news stories of 1959 as follows:

  • Lansing tax debate (AP-1, 435 points; DFP-1)
  • The murder of State Trooper Albert W. Souden near Brighton and the arrest of his accused killer (AP-2, 318 points)
  • The September 22 drowning of 12 members of a family when their small boat was swamped (AP-3, 252 points)
  • The Michigan Supreme Court's October 21 ruling that the state's four cent sales tax was unconstitutional (AP-4)
  • Automobile industry's introduction of new, compact cars (AP-5, 214 points; DFP-2)
  • A University of Michigan student who hid in a church belfry for months (AP-6, 165 points)
  • The negative impact of the 116-day steel strike of 1959 on the automobile industry (AP-7, 149 points)
  • The Detroit Tigers' firing manager Bill Norman and hiring of Jimmy Dykes (AP-8, 109 points)
  • The accidental death in November of former General Motors vice president Harry W. Anderson, shot by former General Motors CEO Harlow Curtice while duck hunting on St. Anne Island in the St. Clair River (AP-9, 107 points; DFP-5)
  • The Michigan 59ers, a group of Michigander who left the state in March in order to homestead and form a farm community in Alaska called New Michigan (AP-10, 87 points; DFP-3)
  • Saint Lawrence Seaway opened, and from June 27 to July 9 Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip passed through the seaway aboard on the royal yacht HMY Britannia with stops in Windsor and Sarnia on July 2 and 3 (DFP-4)

Office holders[]

State office holders[]

Gov. G. Mennen Williams

Mayors of major cities[]

Patrick V. McNamara
Philip Hart

Federal office holders[]

  • U.S. Senator from Michigan: Patrick V. McNamara (Democrat)
  • U.S. Senator from Michigan: Philip Hart (Democrat)
  • House District 1: Thaddeus M. Machrowicz (Democrat)
  • House District 2: George Meader (Republican)
  • House District 3: August E. Johansen (Republican)
  • House District 4: Clare Hoffman (Republican)
  • House District 5: Gerald Ford (Republican)
  • House District 6: Charles E. Chamberlain (Republican)
  • House District 7: James G. O'Hara (Democrat)
  • House District 8: Alvin Morell Bentley (Republican)
  • House District 9: Robert P. Griffin (Republican)
  • House District 10: Elford Albin Cederberg (Republican)
  • House District 11: Victor A. Knox (Republican)
  • House District 12: John B. Bennett (Republican)
  • House District 13: Charles Diggs (Democrat)
  • House District 14: Louis C. Rabaut (Democrat)
  • House District 15: John Dingell Jr. (Democrat)
  • House District 16: John Lesinski Jr. (Democrat)
  • House District 17: Martha Griffiths (Democrat)
  • House District 18: William Broomfield (Republican)

Population[]

In the 1950 United States Census, Michigan was recorded as having a population of 6,421,000 persons, ranking as the seventh most populous state in the country. By 1960, the state's population had grown 22.8% to 7,823,194 persons.

Cities[]

The following is a list of cities in Michigan with a population of at least 40,000 based on 1950 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1940 and 1960 is included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases. Cities that are part of the Detroit metropolitan area are shaded in tan.

1950
Rank
City County 1940 Pop. 1950 Pop. 1960 Pop. Change 1950-60
1 Detroit Wayne 1,623,452 1,849,568 1,670,144 −9.7%
2 Grand Rapids Kent 164,292 176,515 177,313 0.5%
3 Flint Genesee 151,543 163,143 196,940 20.7%
4 Dearborn Wayne 63,589 94,994 112,007 17.9%
5 Saginaw Saginaw 82,794 92,918 98,265 5.8%
6 Lansing Ingham 78,753 92,129 107,807 17.0%
7 Pontiac Oakland 66,626 73,681 82,233 11.6%
8 Kalamazoo Kalamazoo 54,097 57,704 82,089 42.4%
9 Bay City Bay 47,956 52,523 53,604 2.1%
10 Jackson Jackson 49,656 51,088 50,720 −0.7%
11 Battle Creek Calhoun 43,453 48,666 44,169 −9.2%
12 Muskegon Muskegon 47,697 48,429 46,485 −4.0%
13 Ann Arbor Washtenaw 29,815 48,251 67,340 39.6%
14 Royal Oak Oakland 25,087 46,898 80,612 71.9%
15 Warren Macomb 23,658 42,653 89,246 109.2%

Counties[]

The following is a list of counties in Michigan with populations of at least 100,000 based on 1950 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1940 and 1960 are included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases. Counties that are part of the Detroit metropolitan area are shaded in tan.

1980
Rank
County Largest city 1940 Pop. 1950 Pop. 1960 Pop. Change 1950-60
1 Wayne Detroit 2,015,623 2,435,235 2,666,297 9.5%
2 Oakland Pontiac 254,068 396,001 690,259 74.3%
3 Kent Grand Rapids 246,338 288,292 363,187 26.0%
4 Genesee Flint 227,944 270,963 374,313 38.1%
5 Macomb Warren 107,638 184,961 405,804 119.4%
6 Ingham Lansing 130,616 172,941 211,296 22.2%
7 Saginaw Saginaw 130,468 153,515 190,752 24.3%
8 Washtenaw Ann Arbor 80,810 134,606 172,440 28.1%
9 Kalamazoo Kalamazoo 100,085 126,707 169,712 33.9%
10 Muskegon Muskegon 94,501 121,545 129,943 6.9%
11 Calhoun Battle Creek 94,206 120,813 138,858 14.9%
12 Berrien Benton Harbor 89,117 115,702 149,865 29.5%
13 Jackson Jackson 93,108 108,168 131,994 22.0%

Sports[]

Baseball[]

American football[]

Basketball[]

Ice hockey[]

Boat racing[]

Golf[]

Chronology of events[]

January[]

February[]

March[]

April[]

May[]

June[]

July[]

August[]

September[]

October[]

November[]

December[]

Births[]

  • February 5 - Jennifer Granholm, 47th Governor of Michigan, in Vancouver
  • June 19 - Mark DeBarge, part of the Motown family group DeBarge and songwriter ("Stay with Me"), in Detroit
  • August 14 - Magic Johnson, basketball player for Los Angeles Lakers (1979–1991, 1996), 5x NBA champion, 3x NBA MVP, in Lansing, Michigan
  • September 21 - Dave Coulier, actor (Full House) and stand-up comedian, in St. Clair Shores, Michigan
  • October 23 - Sam Raimi, film director (Evil Dead series, the original Spider-Man trilogy, and Darkman) and screenwriter, in Royal Oak, Michigan
  • no date - Bill Morrison, comic book artist and writer, co-founder and creative director of Bongo Comics (1993-2012), in Lincoln Park, Michigan

Gallery of 1959 births[]

Deaths[]

  • March 17 - Howard Ehmke, pitcher for Detroit Tigers (1916–1922), at age 64 in Philadelphia
  • April 9 - John Herrmann, writer who lived in Paris in the 1920s as part of its famous expatriate American writers' circle, at age 58 in Mexico
  • May 15 - Clarence J. McLeod, Congressman from Michigan (1920–1941), at age 63 in Detroit
  • August 5 - Edgar Guest, poet who became known as the "People's Poet", at age 77 in Detroit
  • September 7 - Charline White, first African-American woman to be elected to the Michigan Legislature, at age 39 in Detroit
  • December 2 - Albert J. Engel, Congressman from Michigan (1935–1951), at age 71 in Grand Rapids

Gallery of 1959 deaths[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Charles Cain (December 31, 1959). "Tax Fight Michigan's Top Story of '59". The Herald-Press. p. IA-1 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Peace Tours, Moon Shots, Strikes and Scandals". Detroit Free Press. December 27, 1959. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "1959 Detroit Tigers Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  4. ^ "2012 University of Michigan Baseball Record Book" (PDF). University of Michigan. 2012. pp. 22, 71. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  5. ^ 2012 Record Book, p. 13.
  6. ^ "1959 Detroit Lions Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  7. ^ "1959 Michigan State Spartans Stats". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  8. ^ "1959 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  9. ^ "1959 Michigan Wolverines Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  10. ^ "Central Michigan 2015 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Central Michigan University. 2015. pp. 100, 110. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  11. ^ "Football Records: Annual Results". Western Michigan University. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  12. ^ "2014 Digital Media Guide: Eastern Michigan University" (PDF). Eastern Michigan University Football. pp. 169, 176. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
  13. ^ "1959 Detroit Mercy Titans Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  14. ^ "1958–59 Detroit Pistons Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  15. ^ "1958-59 Michigan State Spartans Roster and Stats". SR/CBB. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  16. ^ "1958–59 Michigan Wolverines Schedule and Results". SR/CBB. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  17. ^ "Big Ten Basketball 2009–10 Media Guide". CBS Interactive. p. 33. Archived from the original on 2010-07-03. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
  18. ^ "Big Ten Basketball 2009–10 Media Guide". CBS Interactive. p. 34. Archived from the original on 2010-07-03. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
  19. ^ Ron Pesch. "Chasing a dream". Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on July 26, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  20. ^ "1958–59 Detroit Titans Schedule and Results". SR/CBB. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  21. ^ "1958–59 Western Michigan Broncos Schedule and Results". SR/CBB. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  22. ^ "1958–59 Detroit Red Wings Roster and Statistics". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  23. ^ "Michigan Team History". College Hockey News. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  24. ^ "Michigan Tech Team History". College Hockey News. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  25. ^ "Michigan State Team History". College Hockey News. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
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