1948 in Michigan
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Events from the year 1948 in Michigan.
The Associated Press polled editors of its member newspapers in Michigan and ranked the state's top news stories of 1948 as follows:[1]
- The November 2 election of G. Mennen Williams as Governor in an upset over Kim Sigler (354 points)
- The April 20 shooting of Walter Reuther with a shotgun blast through his kitchen window (333 points)
- Crusades of Michigan Attorney General Eugene F. Black and his feud with Governor Sigler (232 points)
- Historic wage agreement between the CIO-UAW and General Motors with a sliding pay scale tied to the cost of living (195 points)
- 1948 Michigan Wolverines football team is undefeated and ranked No. 1 in final AP Poll (171 points)
- The December raid by 300 union men on strike-bound plants of Shakespeare Company in Kalamazoo (158 points)
- Federal prosecution of Michigan automobile dealers (84 points)
- Arrest of James Tamer and ice hockey betting scandal (59 points)
- The April 27 death of William S. Knudsen, a former Ford executive who served as a general in World War II and helped lead the country's efforts to produce war materials (58 points)
- The spring strike by 75,000 Chrysler workers (56 points)
Office holders
State office holders
- Governor of Michigan: Kim Sigler (Republican)
- Lieutenant Governor of Michigan: Eugene C. Keyes (Republican)
- Michigan Attorney General: Eugene F. Black (Republican)
- Michigan Secretary of State: Frederick M. Alger Jr. (Republican)
- Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives: Victor A. Knox (Republican)
- Chief Justice, Michigan Supreme Court: George E. Bushnell
Mayors of major cities
- Mayor of Detroit: Eugene Van Antwerp (Democrat)
- Mayor of Grand Rapids: George W. Welsh (Republican)
- Mayor of Flint: Edward J. Viall/George G. Wills
- Mayor of Dearborn: Orville L. Hubbard
- Mayor of Saginaw: Harold J. Stenglein
- Mayor of Lansing: Ralph Crego
- Mayor of Ann Arbor: William E. Brown Jr.
Federal office holders
- U.S. Senator from Michigan: Homer S. Ferguson (Republican)
- U.S. Senator from Michigan: Arthur Vandenberg (Republican)
- House District 1: George G. Sadowski (Democrat)
- House District 2: Earl C. Michener (Republican)
- House District 3: Paul W. Shafer (Republican)
- House District 4: Clare Hoffman (Republican)
- House District 5: Bartel J. Jonkman (Republican)
- House District 6: William W. Blackney (Republican)
- House District 7: Jesse P. Wolcott (Republican)
- House District 8: Fred L. Crawford (Republican)
- House District 9: Albert J. Engel (Republican)
- House District 10: Roy O. Woodruff (Republican)
- House District 11: Charles E. Potter (Republican)
- House District 12: John B. Bennett (Republican)
- House District 13: Howard A. Coffin (Republican)
- House District 14: Harold F. Youngblood (Republican)
- House District 15: John D. Dingell Sr. (Democrat)
- House District 16: John Lesinski Sr. (Democrat)
- House District 17: George Anthony Dondero (Republican)
Population
In the 1940 United States census, Michigan was recorded as having a population of 5,256,106, ranking as the seventh most populous state in the country. By 1950, Michigan's population had increased by 21.2% to 6,371,766.
Cities
The following is a list of cities in Michigan with a population of at least 20,000 based on 1940 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1930 and 1950 is included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases. Cities that are part of the Detroit metropolitan area are shaded in tan.
| 1940 Rank |
City | County | 1940 Pop. | 1946 Est. | 1950 Pop. | Change 1940-50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit | Wayne | 1,623,452 | 1,815,000[2] | 1,849,568 | 13.9% |
| 2 | Grand Rapids | Kent | 164,292 | 176,515 | 7.4% | |
| 3 | Flint | Genesee | 151,543 | 163,143 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Saginaw | Saginaw | 82,794 | 92,918 | 12.2% | |
| 5 | Lansing | Ingham | 78,753 | 90,000[3] | 92,129 | 17.0% |
| 6 | Pontiac | Oakland | 66,626 | 73,681 | 10.6% | |
| 7 | Dearborn | Wayne | 63,589 | 94,994 | 49.4% | |
| 8 | Kalamazoo | Kalamazoo | 54,097 | 57,704 | 6.7% | |
| 9 | Highland Park | Wayne | 50,810 | 46,393 | −8.7% | |
| 10 | Hamtramck | Wayne | 49,839 | 48,938[4] | 43,555 | −12.6% |
| 11 | Jackson | Jackson | 49,656 | 51,088 | 2.9% | |
| 12 | Bay City | Bay | 47,956 | 52,523 | 9.5% | |
| 13 | Muskegon | Muskegon | 47,697 | 48,429 | 1.5% | |
| 14 | Battle Creek | Calhoun | 43,453 | 48,666 | 12.0% | |
| 15 | Port Huron | St. Clair | 32,759 | 35,725 | 9.1% | |
| 16 | Wyandotte | Wayne | 30,618 | 36,846 | 20.3% | |
| 17 | Ann Arbor | Washtenaw | 29,815 | 48,251 | 61.8% | |
| 18 | Royal Oak | Oakland | 25,087 | 46,898 | 86.9% | |
| 19 | Ferndale | Oakland | 22,523 | 29,675 | 31.8% | |
Counties
The following is a list of counties in Michigan with populations of at least 75,000 based on 1940 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1930 and 1950 are included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases.
| 1940 Rank |
County | Largest city | 1930 Pop. | 1940 Pop. | 1950 Pop. | Change 1940-50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wayne | Detroit | 1,888,946 | 2,015,623 | 2,435,235 | 20.8% |
| 2 | Oakland | Pontiac | 211,251 | 254,068 | 396,001 | 55.9% |
| 3 | Kent | Grand Rapids | 240,511 | 246,338 | 288,292 | 17.0% |
| 4 | Genesee | Flint | 211,641 | 227,944 | 270,963 | 18.9% |
| 5 | Ingham | Lansing | 116,587 | 130,616 | 172,941 | 32.4% |
| 6 | Saginaw | Saginaw | 120,717 | 130,468 | 153,515 | 17.7% |
| 7 | Macomb | Warren | 77,146 | 107,638 | 184,961 | 71.8% |
| 8 | Kalamazoo | Kalamazoo | 91,368 | 100,085 | 126,707 | 26.6% |
| 9 | Jackson | Jackson | 92,304 | 93,108 | 108,168 | 16.2% |
| 10 | Muskegon | Muskegon | 84,630 | 94,501 | 121,545 | 28.6% |
| 11 | Calhoun | Battle Creek | 87,043 | 94,206 | 120,813 | 28.2% |
Companies
The following is a list of major companies based in Michigan in 1948.
| Company | 1948 sales (millions) | 1948 net earnings (millions) | Headquarters | Core business |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Motors | Detroit | Automobiles | ||
| Ford Motor Company | na | na[5] | Automobiles | |
| Chrysler | Automobiles | |||
| Studebaker Corp. | Automobiles | |||
| Briggs Mfg. Co. | Detroit | Automobile parts supplier | ||
| S. S. Kresge | Retail | |||
| Hudson Motor Car Co. | Detroit | Automobiles | ||
| Detroit Edison | Electric utility | |||
| Michigan Bell | Telephone utility | |||
| Kellogg's | Battle Creek | Breakfast cereal | ||
| Parke-Davis | Detroit | Pharmaceutical | ||
| REO Motor Car Co. | Lansing | Automobiles | ||
| Burroughs Adding Machine | Business machines |
Sports
Baseball
- 1948 Detroit Tigers season – [6]
- 1948 Michigan Wolverines baseball season - Under head coach Ray Fisher, the Wolverines compiled a 21–6 record and tied for the Big Ten Conference championship.[7] Jack Weisenburger was the team captain.[8]
American football
- 1948 Detroit Lions season – [9]
- 1948 Michigan Wolverines football team – [10]
- 1948 Michigan State Spartans football team – [11]
- 1948 Detroit Titans football team – [12]
Basketball
Ice hockey
Boat racing
- APBA Gold Cup – Danny Foster
- Harmsworth Cup –
- Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race –
Boxing
Golfing
Other
Chronology of events
Births
- April 2 - Tom Gage, sportswriter for The Detroit News (1979-2015) and 2015 recipient of the J. G. Taylor Spink Award, in Detroit
- June 16 - Ron LeFlore, Major League Baseball center fielder (1974-1982) whose life story was depicted in One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story, in Detroit
- September 29 - Mark Farner, singer, guitarist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lead guitarist for Grand Funk Railroad, in Flint, Michigan
- October 1 - Cub Koda, singer, guitarist, songwriter ("Smokin' in the Boys Room"), and music critic, in Detroit
- October 12 - John Engler, Governor of Michigan (1991-2003), in Pleasant Ridge, Michigan
- November 6 - Glenn Frey, singer, songwriter and actor, best known as a founding member of the rock band Eagles, in Detroit
- November 24 - Rudy Tomjanovich, professional basketball player (1970-1981) and 5× NBA All-Star, in Hamtramck, Michigan
- December 7 - Dennis M. Hertel, U.S. Congressman (1981-1993), in Detroit
- December 13 - Ted Nugent, musician and conservative political activistin Redford, Michigan
- December 27 - Edsel Ford II, great-grandson of Henry Ford a member of the board of directors of Ford Motor Company, in Detroit