Alva Marvin Cummins (February 24, 1869August 8, 1946) was an American lawyer. Cummins was admitted to the bar in 1891. From there, he went on to serve in leadership positions at multiple bar associations. Cummins also had a political career marked by several electoral defeats. Cummins was nominated by the Democratic party for positions such as congressman, governor, and state attorney general.

Early life and education

Alva M. Cummins was born on February 24, 1869, in Perry, Michigan, to parents Jeptha and Phebe Cummins. Alva's parents were pioneers from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Alva received a public school education. In 1881, Alva's parents moved to

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...

. There, Alva began studying at Groton College. In 1888, the Cummins family moved back to Michigan, settling in Mason. Alva graduated from

Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo College is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Founded in 1833 by American Baptist Churches USA, Baptist ministers as the Michigan and Huron Institute, K ...

. After studying in the law office of Samuel L. Kilbourne in

Lansing Lansing () is the capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. It is the sixth-most populous city in Michigan with a popul ...

, Alva was admitted to the Michigan Bar in 1891.

Career

Legal career

After being admitted to the bar, in 1891, Cummins started to practice law in Mason. In 1896, Cummins was elected Ingham County Prosecuting Attorney. On January 1, 1897, Cummins formed a partnership with lawyer Louis B. McArthur. In 1899, Cummins moved to Lansing, where he joined the law firm which became known as Thomas, Cummins & Nichols. In 1912, the firm changed its name to Cummins & Nichols. In 1922, Cummins once again began practicing alone as Cummins and Charles W. Nichols dissolved the firm. By 1938, Cummins was part of a firm entitled Cummins & Cummins. Cummins served as the chairman of the commission which drafted the Michigan Judicature Act of 1915, which recodified Michigan court procedure. Cummins was a part of several bar associations, including the Lansing Bar Association, the Ingham County Bar Association which he had been the dean of, the

State Bar of Michigan The State Bar of Michigan is the governing body for lawyers in the State of Michigan. Membership is mandatory for attorneys who practice law in Michigan. The organization's mission is to aid in promoting improvements in the administration of ju ...

which he served as the president of, and the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary association, voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in the United States; national in scope, it is not specific to any single jurisdiction. Founded in 1878, the ABA's stated acti ...

Political career

Cummins was a lifelong Democrat who made several unsuccessful attempts to run for political office in his life. Cummins served four years on the Lansing Board of Education. Cummins was a member of the Michigan Democratic State Central Committee in 1907. In 1908, Cummins was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Cummins was the Democratic nominee for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

seat representing the 6th congressional district in

1910 Events January * January 6 – Abé people in the French West Africa colony of Côte d'Ivoire rise against the colonial administration; the rebellion is brutally suppressed by the military. * January 8 – By the Treaty of Punakha, t ...

and

1912 This year is notable for Sinking of the Titanic, the sinking of the ''Titanic'', which occurred on April 15. In Albania, this leap year runs with only 353 days as the country achieved switching from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar by skippin ...

. In 1922, Cummins served as the chairman of the Democratic state advisory convention, with no intention to run for office himself, however, without Cummins' prior knowledge, the convention nominated him for governor. In the September Democratic primary, Cummins won against the only other candidate, James B. Balch, former mayor of Kalamazoo. Cummins was defeated by incumbent Republican Alex J. Groesbeck in the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

on November 7. Cummins received 218,252 votes, compared to Groesbeck's 356,933. Cummins again served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1924. There, he presented Governor Woodbridge N. Ferris as a potential presidential nominee. In 1926, Cummins was the Democratic nominee for

Michigan Attorney General The attorney general of the State of Michigan is the fourth-ranking official in the U.S. state of Michigan. The officeholder is elected statewide in the November general election alongside the governor of Michigan, governor, Lieutenant Governor of ...

, ultimately being defeated by William W. Potter. Cummins received 154,031 votes compared to Potter's 415,981. In

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

, Cummins was a candidate for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

, but he was defeated in the primary. Despite being a Democrat, Cummins was appointed to some positions by Republican governors. Governor Fred W. Green appointed Cummins to the public utilities commission, which he served on from May 1929 to June 1931. Governor Luren Dickinson appointed Cummins to the liquor control commission in 1940.

Personal life

Cummins married Jennie Osborn on May 25, 1892. Together, they had one daughter. Jennie died on April 19, 1898. On February 22, 1900, Cummins married Fannie Fitch. Fannie's grandfather, Ferris S. Fitch, and her father, Charles C. Fitch, were both prominent Democratic politicians who served in the

Michigan Legislature The Michigan Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of the Senate (the upper chamber) and the House of Representatives (the lower chamber). Article IV of the Michigan Con ...

. Together, they had two children. Fannie died on May 13, 1942, and was interred at Maple Grove Cemetery in Mason. Cummins was a

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

and a member of the

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...

Later life and death

In 1944, Cummins moved to

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

for retirement after illness prevented him from being active in political and legal affairs. In 1946, Cummins visited his son, Charles Fitch Cummins, and stayed at his house near

Okemos Okemos ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Ingham County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population of the CDP was 25,121 at the 2020 census. Okemos is part of the urban area of Lansing–East Lansing, and is located nearby the campus ...

. While visiting, Cummins died of a heart attack on August 8.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cummins, Alva M. 1869 births 1946 deaths American Freemasons Michigan Democrats Michigan lawyers People from Shiawassee County, Michigan People from Mason, Michigan Politicians from Lansing, Michigan Kalamazoo College alumni 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians 20th-century Michigan politicians