Cyrus G. Luce

Cyrus Gray Luce (born July 2, 1824 in Windsor , Ashtabula County , Ohio , † March 18, 1905 in Coldwater , Michigan ) was an American politician and the 21st Governor of Michigan from 1887 to 1891 .

Early years

Cyrus Luce first attended local schools in his home in Ohio. At the age of 12 he moved with his family to Steuben County , Indiana , where he continued his education. Between 1841 and 1848 he worked in a weaving mill. Yet in 1848 he made an unsuccessful attempt as a candidate of the Whigs in the House of Representatives from Indiana to be elected. After this defeat, he moved to neighboring Michigan, where he acquired uncultivated land in Branch County , which he cleared and converted into good farmland.

Political rise

In 1852, Luce was elected to Branch County's county council. Cyrus Luce was also a co-founder of the Republican Party in 1854. For that party he was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1855 to 1856 . He was a Chamberlain in Branch County from 1858 to 1860. Next he was elected to the state senate, where he remained between 1865 and 1868. In 1867 he was a member of an assembly to revise the state constitution. From 1879 to 1881, Cyrus Luce held the office of oil commissioner for the Michigan state government.

Michigan governor

In 1886, Luce was elected as a Republican candidate for governor of his country. He took up his new office on January 1, 1887 and, after being re-elected in 1888, could remain in office until January 1, 1891. During his tenure, the position of a state game warden was created. The prohibition law was changed so that it was reserved for the lower administrative levels to pass their own laws in this area.

Another résumé

After the end of his governorship, Luce withdrew from politics and devoted himself to his private affairs. He died in March 1905 and was buried in Coldwater, Michigan. Cyrus Luce was married twice and had a total of five children.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 2, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

• Cyrus Luce in the National Governors Association (English)
• Cyrus G. Luce in the database of Find a Grave (English)