Michigan Republican Party

Michigan Republican Party
Chairman	Robert "Bobby" Schostak
Senate leader	Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville
House leader	Speaker of the House Jase Bolger
Founded	1854
Headquarters	Secchia-Weiser Republican Center, 520 N. Seymour St., Lansing, MI
Ideology	Center-right Conservatism Social conservatism Fiscal conservatism
National affiliation	Republican Party
Official colors	Red (unofficial)
Website
MIGOP.org
Politics of the United States Political parties Elections

The Michigan Republican Party is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party in Michigan. It is sometimes referred to as MIGOP, which simply means Michigan Grand Old Party.

Robert "Bobby" Schostak is the Chairman of the Party, having been elected January 29, 2011 at the state convention. Schostak served as the finance chairman during the tenure of chairman Ron Weiser, raising over $30 million for the Party's campaign efforts in 2010. Sharon Wise, is Co-Chairman of the Party ^[1]. Its National Committee Members are Saulius "Saul" Anuzis and Holly Hughes.

History and notable Michigan Republicans

The Republican Party was born in the early 1850s by anti-slavery activists and individuals who believed that government should grant western lands to settlers free of charge. The first informal meeting of the party took place in Ripon, Wisconsin, a small town northwest of Milwaukee, WI. The first official Republican meeting took place on July 6, 1854 in Jackson, Michigan with David S. Walbridge serving as chairman. The name "Republican" was chosen because it alluded to equality and reminded individuals of Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party. At the Jackson convention, the new party adopted a platform and nominated candidates for office in Michigan.

In 1856, the Republicans became a national party when John C. Fremont was nominated for President of the United States under the slogan: "Free soil, free labor, free speech, free men, Fremont." Even though they were considered a "third party" because the Democrats and Whigs represented the two-party system at the time, Fremont received 33% of the vote. Four years later, Abraham Lincoln became the first Republican to win the White House. (For continued history [2])

Republicans have been elected Governor of Michigan 27 out of 48 elections. The first was Kingsley Bingham in 1855 and the most recent is the current governor Rick Snyder.

Gerald R. Ford, the 38th U.S. President, grew up in Grand Rapids, MI.

Gerald R. Ford was the only Republican U.S. President and also the only Republican U.S. Vice President from Michigan. He was also the longest living President in U.S. History who died at the age of 93, only surpassing Ronald Reagan by 45 days. He is the only President born in Nebraska, as well as the only President to be buried in Michigan, aling with his wife, Betty.

Thomas W. Ferry was the first Republican from Michigan to become president pro tempore of the Senate (1875–79). Arthur H. Vandenberg was the second (1947–49) as well as the longest serving Republican U.S. Senator from Michigan at 23 years. None have been a U.S. Sentate party leader from Michigan.

In 1857, Zachariah Chandler was the first Republican to serve as U.S. Senator from Michigan (Class 1). Two years later, he served alongside fellow Republican Kinsley Bingham (Class 2). The GOP would continue being elected to serve alongside each other until 1923. The last time two Republicans were simultaneous U.S. Senators from Michigan was from 1953-55 with Homer Ferguson and Charles E. Potter. The last Republican to serve as a U.S. Senator from Michigan was E. Spencer Abraham who left office in 2001.

No Republican Michigander has ever been Speaker of the United States House of Representatives or House Majority Leader.

Gerald R. Ford is the only Republican House Minority Leader (1965–69) from Michigan.

In 1855, William A. Howard (1st district), Henry Waldron (2nd district), and David S. Walbridge (3rd district) became the first three Republicans to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan. Republicans were seated in all Michigan congressional districts during these years: 1857-59, 1860–63, 1865–71, 1873–75, 1879–83, 1895–97, 1899–1903, 1905–11, 1921–23, and 1925-33.

Roy O. Woodruff served 32 years in the U.S. House, the longest as a Republican from Michigan.

Ruth Thompson of Whitehall was the first woman to represent Michigan in Congress and the first woman to serve in the U.S. House Judiciary Committee.

The only Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from Michigan who was appointed by a Republican President (Benjamin Harrison) was Henry Billings Brown. Zachariah Chandler and Arthur E. Summerfield are the only Michiganders to become Chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Current elected Republicans in Michigan

Members of Congress

U.S. House of Representatives

The Republican Party currently holds a 9-6 majority of Michigan's U.S. House delegation:

• First District: Dan Benishek
• Second District: Bill Huizenga
• Third District:Justin Amash
• Fourth District: Dave Camp
• Sixth District: Fred Upton
• Seventh District: Tim Walberg
• Eighth District: Mike Rogers
• Tenth District: Candice S. Miller
• Eleventh District: Thaddeus McCotter

Statewide

• Governor: Rick Snyder
• Lieutenant Governor: Brian Calley
• Secretary of State: Ruth Johnson
• Attorney General: Bill Schuette.

Michigan Legislature

• The Michigan Senate has a Republican supermajority (26-12) with Randy Richardville as Majority Leader.
• The Michigan House of Representatives has a Republican majority (63-47) with James "Jase" Bolger as Speaker.

United States Cabinet Members from Michigan who served under a Republican President

The following are in order of Presidential succession.

Name	Cabinet Position	Years Served	President(s) served under
Charles Erwin Wilson	Secretary of Defense	1953-57	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Zachariah Chandler	Secretary of the Interior	1875-77	Ulysses S. Grant
Roy Dikeman Chapin	Secretary of Commerce	1932-33	Herbert Hoover
Frederick H. Mueller	Secretary of Commerce	1959-61	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Governor George W. Romney	Secretary of Housing and Urban Development	1969-73	Richard Nixon
Spencer Abraham	Secretary of Energy	2001-05	George W. Bush
Governor Russell A. Alger	Secretary of War obsolete	1897-99	William McKinley
Truman H. Newberry	Secretary of the Navy obsolete	1908-09	Theodore Roosevelt
Edwin C. Denby	Secretary of the Navy obsolete	1921-24	Warren G. Harding & Calvin Coolidge
Arthur E. Summerfield	Postmaster General obsolete	1953-61	Dwight D. Eisenhower

Chairmen of the Michigan Republican State Committee

Henry P. Baldwin is the only former Governor to become MIGOP chairman. Bagley and Groesbeck had not been Governor yet.

Name	Residence	Years Served
Joseph Warren	Detroit	1854–1855
James M. Edmunds	Detroit	1855–1861
E.C. Walker	Detroit	1861–1862
William Alanson Howard[1]	Detroit	1862–1868
Governor John J. Bagley[2]	Detroit	1868–1870
Stephen D. Bingham	Lansing	1870–1878
George H. Hopkins	Detroit	1878
Zachariah Chandler[3]	Detroit	1878–1879
James McMillan[4]	Detroit	1879–1880
Governor Henry P. Baldwin[5]	Detroit	1880–1882
Edward S. Lacey	Charlotte	1882–1884
Philip T. Van Zile	Charlotte	1884–1886
James McMillan	Detroit	1886–1888
George H. Hopkins	Detroit	1888–1890
James McMillan	Detroit	1890–1896
Dexter M. Ferry	Detroit	1896–1898
Arthur M. Marsh	Allegan	1898–1900
Gerrit J. Diekema[6]	Holland	1900–1910
W.F. Knox	Sault Ste. Marie	1910–1912
Governor Alex Groesbeck[7]	Detroit	1912–1914
Gilman M. Dame	Northport	1914–1916
John D. Magnum	Marquette	1916–1919
Burt D. Cady	Port Huron	1919–1925
Kennedy L. Potter	Jackson	1925–1927
Gerrit J. Diekema	Holland	1927–1929
Howard C. Lawrence	Ionia and Saginaw	1929–1937
James F. Thomson	Jackson	1937–1940
Leslie B. Butler	Lansing	1940–1942
John R. Dethmers[8]	Holland	1942–1945
John A. Wagner	Battle Creek	1945–1949
Owen Cleary[9]	Ypsilanti	1949–1953
John Feikens[10]	Detroit	1953–1957
Lawrence Lindemer	Stockbridge	1957–1961
George Van Peursem	Zeeland	1961–1963
Arthur G. Elliott, Jr.	Birmingham	1963–1965
Elly M. Peterson[11]	Charlotte	1965–1969
William F. McLaughlin	Northville	1969–1979
Melvin L. Larson	Oxford	1979–1983
E. Spencer Abraham[12]	East Lansing	1983–1991
David J. Doyle	Okemos	1991–1995
Susy Heintz (Avery)	Clinton Township	1995–1996
Elisabeth "Betsy" DeVos[13]	Grand Rapids	1996–2000
Gerald "Rusty" Hills[14]	East Lansing	2000–2003
Elisabeth "Betsy" DeVos	Grand Rapids	2003–2005
Saulius "Saul" Anuzis	Lansing	2005–2009
Ron Weiser[15]	Ann Arbor	2009–2011
Robert "Bobby" Schostak	Oakland County	2011–present

Notes

1. ^ William Alanson Howard later became U. S. Representative for the Michigan's 1st congressional district (1855-59), (1860-61) and Governor of Dakota Territory (1878–1880)
2. ^ John J. Bagley later served as Governor of Michigan (1873–1877)
3. ^ Zachariah Chandler had previously been Mayor of Detroit (1851–1852), U. S. Senator (Class 1) from Michigan (1857–1875, 1879) U. S. Secretary of the Interior (1875–77) and simutaneously Chairman of the Republican National Committee (1876-79)
4. ^ James McMillan was also a U. S. Senator (Class 2) from Michigan (1889–1902)
5. ^ Henry P. Baldwin had previously served as Governor of Michigan (1869–1873) and United States Senator (Class 1) from Michigan (1879–1881)
6. ^ Gerrit J. Diekema had also been U. S. Representative for the Michigan's 5th congressional district (1907–1911)
7. ^ Alex Groesbeck was later Michigan Attorney General (1917–1920) and Governor of Michigan (1921–1927)
8. ^ John R. Dethmers was later Michigan Attorney General (1945–1946)
9. ^ Owen Cleary was later Michigan Secretary of State (1953–1954)
10. ^ John Feikens is currently Senior Judge, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (since 1986)
11. ^ Elly M. Peterson was the first woman to serve as chairman of any official state party.
12. ^ E. Spencer Abraham later became U. S. Senator from Michigan (1995—2001) and U. S. Secretary of Energy (2001–2005)
13. ^ Elisabeth "Betsy" DeVos is the wife of 2006 Republican Gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos
14. ^ Gerald "Rusty" Hills is currently the spokesman for Michigan Attorney General candidate Bill Schuette.
15. ^ Ron Weiser is a former United States Ambassador to Slovakia, appointed by George W. Bush in November 2001 and served until December 2004.

External links

• Michigan Republican Party
• Michigan Young Republicans
• Michigan Federation of College Republicans
• MSU College Republicans
• "That's Saul, folks" MIGOP Blog
• Saul Anuzis for Chairman
• Michigan Federation of Teenage Republicans