Cyrus Gray Luce (July 2, 1824 – March 18, 1905) was an American politician in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. He served as the 21st

governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of state, head of government, and chief executive of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as th ...

Early life in Ohio and Indiana

Luce was born in Windsor,

Ashtabula County, Ohio Ashtabula County ( ) is the northeasternmost county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,574. The county seat is Jefferson. The county was created in 1808 and later organized in 1811. The name Ashtabula d ...

to his parents Walter Luce and Mary Gray Luce. Walter Luce, a veteran of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It ...

from Tolland, Connecticut, settled in the

Connecticut Western Reserve The Connecticut Western Reserve was a portion of land claimed by the Colony of Connecticut and later by the state of Connecticut in what is now mostly the northeastern region of Ohio. The Reserve had been granted to the Colony under the terms ...

after the war. He and Mary were parents to sons Cyrus Gray, Charles Leverett, and George Lester Luce. When he was twelve years old, young Cyrus moved west with his family to Steuben County, Indiana. After leaving school at seventeen, Cyrus Luce worked from 1841 until 1848 in a woolen mill, carding

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...

and dressing the unfinished cloth for sale.

Life and Politics in Michigan

In 1848, Cyrus Luce was a Whig Party candidate for the Indiana House of Representatives for the district including Steuben and DeKalb counties. He lost a close election, and in the same year he purchased of uncultivated land near

Gilead, Michigan Gilead Township is a civil township of Branch County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the township population was 661. There are no incorporated municipalities within the primarily agricultural township. The only concentrat ...

Branch County Branch County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 44,862. The county seat is Coldwater. As one of the "cabinet counties" it was named for the U.S. Secretary of the Navy John Branch under Pr ...

not far from the Indiana state line. Luce cleared the land for farming and in 1849 married Julia A. Dickinson of Gilead. Over time he expanded his landholdings with additional purchases. He became an active member of the Grange in 1874, and remained active in the organization for many years afterwards. In 1852, he was elected to represent Gilead Township on the Branch County Board of Supervisors. In 1854, he was elected as a candidate of the newly formed

Republican party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

to the Michigan State House of Representatives, serving from 1855 to 1856. He was elected Branch County Treasurer in 1858 and again in 1860. In 1864, he was named to fill a seat in 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 ...

and was re-elected in 1866. In July, 1879, Luce was appointed State Oil Inspector by Governor

Charles Croswell Charles Miller Croswell (October 31, 1825 – December 13, 1886) was the 17th governor of Michigan from 1877 to 1881. Early life in New York Croswell was born in Newburgh, New York, the only son of John and Sallie (née Hicks) Croswell. His fat ...

, and re-appointed by Gov. David Jerome in 1881. His first wife Julia died in August 1882, and Luce married Mary Thompson of

Bronson, Michigan Bronson is a city located in west central Branch County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,349 at the 2010 census. Bronson is situated on U.S. Highway 12 about southwest of Coldwater. The ZIP code is 49028 and the FIPS plac ...

in November 1883. Running as a

candidate, Luce was elected

Governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of state, head of government, and chief executive of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as th ...

in November 1886, defeating

George L. Yaple George Lewis Yaple (February 20, 1851 – December 16, 1939) was a politician and jurist from the U.S. state of Michigan. Yaple was born in Leonidas, Michigan, and moved with his parents to Mendon, Michigan, in 1857. He attended the common scho ...

, taking office on January 1, 1887. He was reelected in 1888 and served two two-year terms. During his tenure, a local liquor option law was sanctioned and a state game warden was established, reportedly the first salaried state game wardenship in the United States. To fill this position Luce appointed William Alden Smith, who would later represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate.

Death and legacy

Luce died at the age of 80 in

Coldwater, Michigan Coldwater is a city in Branch County, Michigan, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,945. It is the county seat of Branch County, located in the center of the southern border of Michigan. The city is surrounded by C ...

, and is interred in Oak Grove Cemetery adjacent to that municipality. Luce County, in the

Upper Peninsula of Michigan The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by ...

is named for Luce. He was the last governor of the state to have a county named in his honor. His administration was marked by rapid population growth and development in northern Michigan, led by the

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...

industry. A state landmark, the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, was built in 1887 during his administration.

References

External links

*
Memorial LibraryNational Governors Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Luce, Cyrus G. 1824 births 1905 deaths Governors of Michigan People from Ashtabula County, Ohio People from Branch County, Michigan Michigan Republicans Members of the Michigan House of Representatives Michigan state senators American Presbyterians People from Coldwater, Michigan Indiana Whigs Burials in Michigan 19th-century American politicians Republican Party governors of Michigan