Matilda Dodge Wilson

Matilda Dodge Wilson (born October 19, 1883 in Ontario , Canada , † September 19, 1967 in Brussels , Belgium ) was an American politician . She was acting lieutenant governor of the state of Michigan in 1940 and 1941 .

Career

Matilda Rausch, her maiden name, was born to parents of German origin in Canada. She had lived in Detroit with her family since 1884 . The father ran a restaurant and the mother a hotel. Matilda attended the public schools in her new home. In 1902 she graduated from Gorsline Business College . She then worked as a secretary at Dodge Motor Company . Five years later she married the company's co-owner, John Francis Dodge . After his death in 1920, she inherited his stake in the company, making her one of the richest women in the United States. In 1925 she married Alfred G. Wilson, a successful entrepreneur in the wood industry. Politically, she joined the Republican Party . In 1928 she was a substitute delegate to the Republican National Convention , where Herbert Hoover was nominated as a presidential candidate.

On November 14, 1940, Matilda Dodge Wilson was appointed Acting Lieutenant Governor of Michigan by Acting Governor Luren Dickinson . She held this office for a few weeks until the end of the legislative period in 1941. She was then Deputy Governor and Chairwoman of the State Senate . In 1957, she bequeathed her private estate, Meadow Brook Hall, to Michigan State University . She also donated $ 2 million to help found Oakland University . She died in Brussels on September 19, 1967.

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personal data
SURNAME	Wilson, Matilda Dodge
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Rausch, Matilda (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	October 19, 1883
PLACE OF BIRTH	Ontario , Canada
DATE OF DEATH	September 19, 1967
Place of death	Brussels , Belgium