Zolton Ferency
American politician (1922–1993)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zolton Anton Ferency (June 30, 1922 – March 23, 1993) was an American lawyer, political activist and professor of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University (MSU).[1]
Human Rights Party (1970–1976)
affiliations
Zolton Ferency | |
|---|---|
Ferency in 1978 | |
| Member of the East Lansing City Council | |
| In office 1991 – March 23, 1993 | |
| Member of the Ingham County Board of Commissioners | |
| In office 1981–1982 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 30, 1922 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | March 23, 1993 (aged 70) Lansing, Michigan, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic Party (before 1970, after 1976) Human Rights Party (1970–1976) |
Other political affiliations | Democratic Socialists of America |
Biography
Ferency was born in Detroit, Michigan, in a Hungarian-American family. He served in World War II, and graduated from Michigan State University and the Detroit College of Law.
Ferency was a three-time chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party serving from 1963 to 1968.[2][1] He was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Governor of Michigan in 1966, when he was defeated, as expected,[3] by George W. Romney. He also served as first President of the Human Rights Party, which he helped found in 1970[4] after breaking with the Democratic Party over its support for the Vietnam War.[1] He rejoined the Democrats in 1976.[1] He was also a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.[5]
Ferency was elected to the Ingham County Board of Commissioners in 1980, and to the East Lansing City Council in 1991.[4] He was serving on the city council at his death.[1] He was a frequent if unsuccessful candidate for other public offices, running for governor in 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, and 1982; for Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court in 1972, 1976, and 1986; and for the Michigan Senate, 24th District, in 1990.
Ferency taught criminal justice at MSU from 1971 until his retirement in 1990.[1]
Ferency lived in East Lansing, Michigan. He died on March 23, 1993, in Lansing, Michigan.[1]
The Ferency House in the Michigan State University Student Housing Cooperative[6] and the Zolton Ferency Endowed Scholarship[4] at MSU commemorate Ferency.
