Frank Fitzgerald (politician)

Frank Fitzgerald

Frank Dwight Fitzgerald (born January 27, 1885 in Grand Ledge , Eaton County , Michigan ; †  March 16, 1939 ibid) was an American politician and from 1935 to 1937 the 34th and in 1939 the 36th  governor of the state of Michigan .

Early years and political advancement

Frank Fitzgerald attended Grand Ledge High School and the Ferris Institute in Big Rapids . From 1913 to 1919 he served in the administration of both the House of Representatives and the Michigan Senate . Between 1919 and 1923 he was Deputy Secretary of State of Michigan; from 1931 to 1934 he then acted as the actual Secretary of State . Fitzgerald also held leading positions in the Republican Party . Between 1925 and 1926 and again from 1929 to 1930 he was on the state executive committee of his party. In 1924, 1932 and 1936 he took part as a delegate to the Republican National Conventions .

Michigan governor

In 1934, Fitzgerald was his party's nominee for the new governor of Michigan. He prevailed with 52.4 percent of the vote against the Democrat Arthur J. Lacy and took up his new office on January 1, 1935. During his two-year tenure, the country continued to recover from the global economic crisis . Governor Fitzgerald managed to balance the state budget and advocated further consolidation of government departments. In 1936 he ran again, but was defeated by his Democratic challenger Frank Murphy . However, he managed to get revenge against Murphy by winning the 1938 gubernatorial election against him. Fitzgerald's second term began on January 1, 1939 and was supposed to run until January 1941. However, he died in March 1939 after less than three months in his second term. He was the first and so far only Michigan governor to die in office. In addition, after John S. Barry , who served in the mid-19th century, he was only the second governor of his state with two unrelated terms. After Fitzgerald's death, Lieutenant Governor Luren Dickinson took over the governorship.

Frank Fitzgerald was married to Queena M. Warner, with whom he had a child.

Web links

• Frank Fitzgerald in the National Governors Association (English)
• Frank Fitzgerald in the database of Find a Grave (English)