Arthur Jay Lacy (September 30, 1876April 6, 1975) was an American politician, lawyer, and philanthropist. 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 ...

, Lacy served as the Democratic Michigan gubernatorial nominee.

Early life and education

Arthur J Lacy with U of M Democratic Club 1898

Arthur J. Lacy was born on September 30, 1876, in Nirvana,

Lake County, Michigan Lake County (formerly known as Aischum County) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 12,096. The county seat is Baldwin. History The county was created by the Michigan Legislature in 184 ...

, to parents Francis Daniel Lacy and Eunice Amelia Lacy. Arthur attended school until age twelve, and was also tutored at home by his father. In 1894, Arthur started to attend Northern Indiana Normal School (now known as

Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. It is an independent Lutheran university with five colleges. It enrolls nearly 2,300 students and has a campus. The university is known for its Luthe ...

), and ended up earning an LL.B from the Northern Indiana Normal School of Law. In 1896, Arthur started attending the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, where he again earned an LL.B in 1898.

Career

In 1896, Lacy was admitted to the Indiana Bar, despite being underage, and was admitted to the Michigan Bar in 1898. In 1899, Lacy moved to

Clare, Michigan Clare is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located near the center of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, the city is located mostly in Clare County, while a small portion extends south into Isabella County. The city had a population of 3,254 at t ...

, where he started his law career. He served as city attorney for Clare from 1899 to 1909. Lacy served as mayor of Clare from 1902 to 1906. In

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...

, Lacy unsuccessfully ran 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 Michigan's 11th district. Lacy would also unsuccessfully run for the position of prosecuting attorney. In

1908 This is the longest year in either the Julian or Gregorian calendars, having a duration of 31622401.38 seconds of Terrestrial Time (or ephemeris time), measured according to the definition of mean solar time. Events January * January ...

, Lacy served as a delegate to

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

from Michigan. In 1909, Lacy was invited by

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...

's lawyer,

Alfred Lucking Alfred Lucking (December 18, 1856 – December 1, 1929) was an American lawyer and politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, and was general counsel for the Ford Motor Compan ...

, to practice law in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. Lacy moved to Detroit in July the same year. Lacy also unsuccessfully ran for the position of University of Michigan regent in 1909. Lacy was a member of the law firm Millis, Griffin and Lacy from 1912 to 1913. In 1913, Lacy was appointed as judge of the then-new Detroit Domestic Relations Court by Michigan Governor Woodbridge N. Ferris. The court was dissolved by the

Michigan Supreme Court The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's court of last resort and consists of seven justices. The Court is located in the Michigan Hall of Justice at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, the s ...

eight months later in 1914. In 1914, Lacy joined the law firm Anderson, Rackham, and Wilcox, where he replaced former member

Horace Rackham Horace Hatcher Rackham (June 27, 1858 – June 12, 1933) was one of the original stockholders in the Ford Motor Company and a noted philanthropist. Early life Rackham was born in Harrison Township, Michigan. He graduated from high school in Les ...

. By 1938, the firm was known as Anderson, Wilcox, Lacy and Lawson. In 1919, Lacy began serving on the Detroit Civil Service Commission. In 1920, Lacy was appointed as the head of the civil service commission by

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

James J. Couzens James Joseph Couzens (August 26, 1872October 22, 1936) was an American businessman, politician and philanthropist. He served as mayor of Detroit (1919–1922) and U.S. Senator from Michigan (1922–1936). Prior to entering politics he served as v ...

. Lacy served as Couzens' personal lawyer for the rest of his life. He would serve on the civil service commission until 1923. In 1926, Lacy unsuccessfully ran in the Democratic primary for the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

seat representing the 18th district. In 1930, Lacy would being a personal campaign against heavy taxation and high governmental costs during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, which would gain him prominence in the Democratic Party. Accomplishments during this campaign included assisting thirty small banks in Michigan in avoiding

panics ''F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon'' is a 2005 first-person shooter Horror game#Psychological horror, psychological horror video game for Microsoft Windows, Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Video game developer, Developed by Monolit ...

from 1932 to 1933 and co-authoring the Michigan Emergency Banking Act. In 1933, Lacy served as a delegate to the Michigan convention to ratify the

21st Amendment to the United States Constitution The Twenty-first Amendment (Amendment XXI) to the United States Constitution repealed the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which had mandated nationwide prohibition on alcohol. The Twenty-first Amendment was proposed by ...

, where he represented the Wayne County 1st district. In 1934, Lacy was persuaded to run in the Democratic Primary for the position of Governor of Michigan. On September 11, 1934, Lacy won the primary, defeating incumbent Democratic Governor William Comstock. 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 6, 1934, Lacy was defeated by Republican nominee

Frank Fitzgerald Frank Dwight Fitzgerald (January 27, 1885 – March 16, 1939) was an American politician. He was elected as the 34th and 36th governor of Michigan and was the only Michigan governor to die in office. Early life Fitzgerald was born on January 27 ...

. Lacy's political career rapidly waned after this. Lacy disagreed with many of Democratic President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

's policies, such as deficit spending and attempted court packing. As such, he became a Republican, but he was not accepted by the party. Lacy continued to focus on his law practice, as well as philanthropy. By 1938, Lacy was a member of 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 ...

, the Michigan Bar Association, and the Detroit Bar Association. In 1947, Lacy became less active in his law firm. He continued to focus on income tax cases, as he was considered an expert in the field.

Personal life

On November 1, 1898, Lacy married Beth Malissa Garwick. Beth died in 1970. From 1918 to 1919, he served as president of the

Detroit Golf Club The Detroit Golf Club (abbreviated to DGC) is a private golf club located in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan in the middle of a neighborhood area on north side of the city near the University of Detroit Mercy and Palmer Woods Historic District. B ...

. Lacy was Congregationalist. Lacy 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 ...

Death

Lacy died on April 6, 1975, in

Birmingham, Michigan Birmingham is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a northern suburb of Detroit located along the Woodward Corridor (M-1 (Michigan highway), M-1). As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 censu ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacy, Arthur J. 1876 births 1975 deaths American Congregationalists American Freemasons Indiana lawyers Lawyers from Detroit Mayors of places in Michigan Michigan Democrats Michigan Republicans Michigan state court judges People from Clare, Michigan People from Lake County, Michigan Philanthropists from Michigan Politicians from Detroit University of Michigan Law School alumni Valparaiso University School of Law alumni 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century Michigan state court judges 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American philanthropists 20th-century mayors of places in Michigan