Alex Groesbeck

Alex Groesbeck

Alexander Joseph "Alex" Groesbeck (born March 7, 1873 in Warren , Michigan , †  March 10, 1953 in Detroit , Michigan) was an American politician and from 1921 to 1927 the 30th  governor of the state of Michigan.

Early years and political advancement

Alex Groesbeck attended local schools in his home country and in Ontario , Canada , where his family had moved for two years. He later studied law at the University of Michigan . After his exams and his admission to the bar in 1893, he was able to practice his new profession in Detroit.

Groesbeck was a member of the Republican Party . In 1912 he supported William Howard Taft's presidential campaign . Between 1912 and 1914 he was chairman of his party in Michigan. In 1914, he unsuccessfully applied for the office of governor of his state. From 1916 to 1921 he was Attorney General of Michigan. On November 2, 1920, he managed to be elected governor as a candidate of his party. With 66.4 percent of the vote, he clearly prevailed against the Democrat Woodbridge Nathan Ferris .

Michigan governor

Alex Groesbeck took up his new office on January 1, 1921. After two re-elections in 1922 and 1924, in which he each achieved more than 60 percent of the votes, he was able to exercise it until January 1, 1927. During this time, the state's roads and highways were expanded and a general vehicle registration system was introduced. The governor also arranged for prison reform. In addition, the government apparatus was restructured and some authorities were merged. In 1924 Groesbeck was a delegate to the Republican National Convention , where Calvin Coolidge was nominated for a second term as US President . In 1926, Groesbeck wanted to run again. But he lost in his party's primaries to Fred W. Green .

Even after the end of his governorship, Groesbeck remained politically active. In 1930 he was again unsuccessful in the Republican gubernatorial primaries. This time he was defeated by Wilber M. Brucker . Between 1941 and 1944 Groesbeck was chairman of the Michigan Civil Service Commission. In 1944 he was once again a delegate to the Federal Republican Party Congress, where Thomas E. Dewey was nominated as a presidential candidate. Groesbeck was also a member of several lawyers' associations. He died in March 1953, three days after his 80th birthday.

Web links

• Alex Groesbeck in the National Governors Association (English)
• Alex Groesbeck in the database of Find a Grave (English)