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1941
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Michigan

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Events from the year 1941 in Michigan.

Top stories

The Associated Press polled editors of its member newspapers in Michigan and ranked the state's top news stories of 1941 as follows: [1]

  1. Ford strike. A 10-day strike by the United Auto Workers closed the company's Rouge plant, the world's largest factory, from April 1 to April 11. Following skirmishes on the picket lines, injunctions, and court hearings, Ford signed the industry's first contract granting workers the union shop and providing a checkoff system for payment of union dues. [2] [3] The Ford strike dominated the voting with 203 out of 240 points. [1]
  2. Conversion to Arsenal of Democracy. The rapid transformation of Michigan's industrial might from the production of automobiles to the production of airplanes, tanks, and guns. New plant construction included Ford's $18 million dollar Willow Run bomber plant in Ypsilanti, [4] the Chrysler Tank Arsenal in Warren, [5] and the $20 million Hudson Naval Ordnance Plant in Center Line. [6] (134 points)
  3. Sault Ste. Marie bridge collapse. On October 7, a 330-foot bascule bridge from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, collapsed under the weight of a passing 35-car freight train. The locomotive crashed through the span, resulting in the death of the engineer and brakeman and a two-day closure of the Soo Locks. The closure halted the shipment of iron ore from the Iron Range for use in defense industries. [7] (120 points)
  4. Feud between Governor and Legislature. Democratic Governor Murray Van Wagoner butted heads with the Republican-controlled Legislature. Van Wagoner exercised his veto power 35 times, and the Republicans lacked sufficient numbers to override the vetoes. Republicans retaliated by delaying the effective dates of many laws. [1] (118 points)
  5. McKay trial. The fraud trial of Frank McKay, former member of the Republican National Committee, and 11 others in Detroit federal court on charges that he participated in a $500,000 liquor fraud ended when Judge Arthur F. Lederle declared a mistrial on July 12. The jury had deliberated for 32 hours over five days without reaching a verdict. The jury foreman and two other jurors stated that they believed something was amiss and that the holdout jurors had been bribed or tampered with. [8] (116 points)
  6. Detroit corruption convictions. A one-man grand jury investigation by Wayne County judge Homer S. Ferguson (later a U.S. Senator from Michigan) pursued government corruption and resulted in (i) the May suicide of indicted contractor Abe Smith by jumping from the 14th floor of a Chicago Hotel, [9] and convictions of three Detroit city councilmen (John F. Hamilton, [10] Robert G. Ewald, [11] Harry I. Dingeman) for taking bribes in connection with the $8.3 million dollar Herman Gardens public housing project; (ii) the conviction of former Detroit Mayor Richard Reading for protecting the numbers racket; (iii) the April convictions of Wayne County's former prosecutor Duncan C. McCrea, sheriff Thomas C. Wilcox, and 23 others for conspiring to protect vice and gambling operations; [12] and (iv) the June conviction of police superintendent Fred W. Frahm and three police officers for graft in connection with a baseball gambling operation. [13] (106 points)
  7. Hank Greenberg. Detroit Tigers star Hank Greenberg made headlines for his involvement in the military draft. In March, Greenberg sought a deferment due to flat feet, a chronic backache, and infected wisdom teeth, [14] but he was placed into Class 1-A in April and inducted into the Army in May. [15] [16] Without Greenberg, the Tigers (who had won the pennant in 1940) dropped to fourth place. [17] Greenberg was discharged from the Army on December 5, [18] but he immediately re-enlisted after Japan's December 7 attack on Pearl Harbor. [19] (99 points)
  8. Fishermen stranded on ice floes. A March 15 blizzard with 50-mile-per-hour winds stranded more than 19 ice fishermen and a woman when the storm broke up an ice field near Skanee Point and swept ice floes into Lake Superior. The last five fisherman were rescued on March 18. [20] [21] (66 points)
  9. Tie (49 points each) between:
  • The November 8 murder of Ada Loveland Torrance, a wealthy 65-year-old widow from Kalamazoo, while on honeymoon in Monterrey, Mexico. Her husband, a tropical disease expert and explorer, was charged with murdering her by a blow to the head and then staging an automobile accident to conceal his crime. [22] [23]
  • The January 5 murder of 32-year-old Mary Jane McCarthy witnessed by 500 persons. She was struck by a shotgun blast fired by her estranged husband as she ran down the church aisle during a public ceremony of reconciliation at St. Andrew's Cathedral in Grand Rapids. [24]

The Detroit Free Press editors rated the top news stories of 1941 in the State of Michigan as follows: [25]

  1. Ford strike.
  2. Detroit corruption convictions.
  3. Conversion to Arsenal of Democracy.
  4. Sault Ste. Marie bridge collapse.
  5. DSR strike. A strike by Detroit Street Railway workers closed the city's mass transportation system for five days from August 20 to August 25. [26] [27]
  6. McKay trial.
  7. CIO convention. The national CIO convention, held in Detroit in November, was marred by fistfights between contingents loyal to John L. Lewis and Philip Murray.
  8. Hank Greenberg.
  9. Feud between Governor and Legislature.
  10. Defense strikes. Prior to the U.S. entry into World War II, strikes were called against Michigan defense industries, including Dow Chemical in Midland and Great Lakes Steel Corp.

Other stories that narrowly missed the cut for the top 10 stories included:

  • The November 3 murder of Wandamay Wheatley, a 20-year-old teletype operator. She was raped, beaten, and left in a thicket five miles south of Saginaw. [28] Winford W. Smith, a 35-year-old taxi driver and father, confessed days later to the crime and was sentenced to life in prison. [29] (47 points in AP poll)
  • The October 7 railroad crash in which a speeding freight train jumped the tracks and crashed into Lansing's Grand Trunk station, killing one boy and injuring at least 13 others. [30] (31 points in AP Poll)
  • Michigan's October 25 football loss by a 7-0 score to Minnesota. [31] Prior to the game, Michigan was ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll and Minnesota No. 1. (27 points in the AP poll)
  • The marriage of 23-year-old Anna Laurine Dodge, a former $18-a-week telephone operator and daughter of a tugboat captain, to a plastic surgeon who she met 18 months earlier as a patient. Dodge had married Daniel Dodge in 1938 and inherited $2.5 million when he drowned while on their honeymoon. [32] [33]
  • The October 23 drowning deaths of six crew members when the tugboat America sank in 19 feet of water to the east of Belle Isle. The tugboat sunk while assisting a grounded freighter, B.F. Jones. [34]

Office holders

State office holders

Gov. Murray Van Wagoner

Mayors of major cities

Sen. Prentiss M. Brown
Sen. Arthur Vandenberg

Federal office holders

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 [35] 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 [36] 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 [37] 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 1941.

Company 1941 sales (millions) 1941 net income (millions) Headquarters Core business
General Motors Detroit Automobiles
Ford Motor Company na na [38] Automobiles
Chrysler 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
Graham-Paige Automobiles
Burroughs Adding Machine Business machines

Sports

Rudy York

Baseball

American football

Byron White

Basketball

Ice hockey

Syd Howe

Other

Chronology of events

Main article: 1941 in the United States

Births

Gallery of 1941 births

Deaths

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Editors Select State's Biggest News of 1941". The News-Palladium. December 31, 1941. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Ford Strike Called; Rouge Plant Tied Up; 80,000 Workers Are Affected; U.S. to Take Action". Detroit Free Press. April 2, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Ford Plant Opens to Prepare for Work After Picket Lines Dissolve and Troopers Disappear". Detroit Free Press. April 12, 1941. pp. 1, 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Ford Begins Work on Big Plane Plant". Detroit Free Press. May 15, 1941. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Army Gets First Tank at Chrysler's". Detroit Free Press. April 25, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Gun Factory Dedication Cheers Knox". Detroit Free Press. October 29, 1941. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Bridge Wreck Blocks Soo Locks". The Escanaba Daily Press. October 8, 1941. pp. 1, 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Arthur Carstens (July 13, 1941). "Court Dismisses McKay Jury; U.S. Attorney Promises Probe". Detroit Free Press. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Housing-Graft Trial Will Go On Despite Suicide of Builder". Detroit Free Press. May 21, 1941. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Plea of Guilt Is Submitted by Hamilton". Detroit Free Press. May 9, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Ewald Plans to Appeal His Conviction". Detroit Free Press. September 20, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "McCrea, Wilcox, Garska and Staebler Guilty with 20 Others on Vice-Graft Plot Charges". Detroit Free Press. April 29, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Frahm Convicted of Graft in Baseball Pool; Three Other Former Policemen Also Guilty". Detroit Free Press. June 28, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Hank Awaiting Board's Ruling on Deferment". Detroit Free Press. March 15, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Hank Is Kept in 1-A; Faces May 7 Call". Detroit Free Press. April 19, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Pvt. Hank Off to Camp After a Hectic Day". Detroit Free Press. May 8, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ a b "1941 Detroit Tigers Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  18. ^ "Hank Declares He's Ready for Baseball Now". Detroit Free Press. December 6, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Greenberg to Re-Enlist". Detroit Free Press. December 10, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Blizzard Blocks Guard Hunt for 16 Adrift on Floe". The Battle Creek Enquirer and News. March 17, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Final Group Rescued from Floe in Lake". Lansing State Journal. March 18, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Husband Jailed in Death of Rich Kalamazoo Wife". Detroit Free Press. November 14, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Dress Is Clew In Torrance Death Case". Detroit Free Press. November 23, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Grand Rapids Woman Murdered in Cathedral". The Ludington Daily News. January 6, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ Allen Tenny (December 28, 1941). "Dramatic Ford Strike Biggest Michigan News Story of 1941". Detroit Free Press. p. 40 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "DSR Strike Is Called By AFL". Detroit Free Press. August 20, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "DSR Runs Again; Workers to Hold Election". Detroit Free Press. August 25, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "Girl Murdered Near Saginaw". The Escanaba Daily Press. November 6, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "Saginaw Killer Given Life Term in Prison". The Ludington Daily News. November 13, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Starting Probe To Learn Cause of Wreck". Lansing State Journal. October 8, 1941. p. 1.
  31. ^ John N. Sabo (October 26, 1941). "Minnesota Edges Out Michigan on Second-Period Score, 7 to 0, as Crowd of 85,753 Looks On". Detroit Free Press. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "Daniel Dodge Widow Weds in a Surprise". Detroit Free Press. January 31, 1941. pp. 1, 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ "Young Dodge Widow Weds Surgeon After A Secret Courtship". The Battle Creek Enquirer and News. January 31, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ "Diver Takes Victim from Sunken Tug". Detroit Free Press. October 24, 1941. pp. 1, 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ "L.A. Gives the Count to Detroit". Detroit Free Press. July 28, 1946. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ "City Needs 7,000 Homes". Lansing State Journal. March 10, 1946. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ "Unusual Statistics Of State Revealed". Lansing State Journal. January 25, 1946. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  38. ^ Ford was a privately held company until 1956. Accordingly, its financial results for 1941 were not made public.
  39. ^ "2012 University of Michigan Baseball Record Book" (PDF). University of Michigan. 2012. pp. 22, 70. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  40. ^ 2012 Record Book, p. 13.
  41. ^ "1941 Detroit Lions Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  42. ^ "1941 Football Team". Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  43. ^ "Football Records: Annual Results". Western Michigan University. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  44. ^ "1941 Michigan State Spartans Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  45. ^ "Central Michigan 2015 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Central Michigan University. 2015. pp. 100, 109. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  46. ^ "2015 Eastern Michigan Football Digital Media Guide" (PDF). Eastern Michigan University Football. pp. 162, 170. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  47. ^ "University of Michigan Basketball Record Book" (PDF). University of Michigan. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-10-26. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
  48. ^ "Michigan State Spartans School History". SR College Basketball. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  49. ^ "Western Michigan Broncos School History". SR College Basketball. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  50. ^ "Detroit Mercy Titans School History". SR College Basketball. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  51. ^ "1940-41 Detroit Red Wings Roster and Statistics". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  52. ^ "Michigan Team History". College Hockey News. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  53. ^ "Michigan Tech Team History". College Hockey News. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  54. ^ "Patriarch of Detroit Politics, Ex-Mayor Thompson, Dead". Detroit Free Press. February 13, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  55. ^ "J. W. Haarer Dies Suddenly". Lansing State Journal. April 25, 1941. p. 1. Retrieved April 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  56. ^ "Rites Today for Ex-Mayor Breitmeyer". Detroit Free Press. November 11, 1941. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  57. ^ "Former Congressman John C. Ketcham Dies". The News-Palladium. December 4, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
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