Emil Lockwood (September 23, 1919 – August 2, 2002) was an American businessman and politician who represented Gratiot County 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 ...

from 1963 to 1970, serving as the Senate Minority Leader from 1965 to 1966 and Senate Majority Leader from 1967 to 1970. As a young man, Lockwood served in the Pacific Theater in World War II, aboard a

Landing Ship Tank Landing Ship, Tank (LST), or tank landing ship, is the naval designation for ships first developed during World War II (1939–1945) to support amphibious operations by carrying tanks, vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto shore wit ...

Early life and education

Lockwood was born in

Ottawa, Illinois Ottawa is a city located at the confluence of the navigable Illinois River and Fox River in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The Illinois River is a conduit for river barges and connects Lake Michigan at Chicago, to the Mississippi Ri ...

, and was a descendant of

Franz Karl Achard Franz Karl Achard (28 April 1753 – 20 April 1821) was a German (Prussian) chemist, geoscientist, physicist, and biologist. His principal discovery was the production of sugar from sugar beets. Life and work Achard was born in Berlin, the s ...

on his mother's side. His namesake, Emil Achard, founded Saginaw Plate Glass Company in

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County, Michigan, Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township, Michi ...

, where his family eventually moved. Lockwood earned an associate's degree from

Kemper Military School Kemper Military School & College was a private military school located in Boonville, Missouri. Founded in 1844, Kemper filed for bankruptcy and closed in 2002. The school's motto was "Nunquam Non Paratus" (Never Not Prepared). The 46-acre cam ...

Boonville, Missouri Boonville is a city and the county seat of Cooper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,964 at the 2020 census. The city was the site of a skirmish early in the Civil War, on July 17, 1861. Union forces defeated the Missouri Stat ...

, followed by a Bachelor of Arts degree and

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accou ...

from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. He served with distinction aboard an LST in the

Pacific Theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Career

After leaving the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, Lockwood taught amphibious warfare at Westminster College and accounting at

Albion College Albion College is a private liberal arts college in Albion, Michigan. The college was founded in 1835 and its undergraduate population was approximately 1,500 students in 2014. They participate in NCAA Division III and the Michigan Inter ...

. He then left academics and established a private accounting practice. Lockwood began his career as a member of the

Alma, Michigan Alma is the largest city in Gratiot County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,383 at the 2010 census. It was incorporated as the Village of Alma in 1872 and became a city in 1905. Alma hosts the annual Highland Festival on Memor ...

Board of Education. He later served as a member of the

Gratiot County, Michigan Gratiot County ( ') is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 41,761. The county seat is Ithaca, although its most populous city is Alma. Gratiot County comprises the Alma, MI Micropolitan Statistic ...

Board of Supervisors and was the president of the

St. Louis, Michigan St. Louis is a city in Gratiot County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census the population was 7,482. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It was ...

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, prof ...

. Lockwood worked as a campaign manager for Detroit mayor

Albert Cobo Albert Eugene Cobo (October 2, 1893 – September 12, 1957) was an American politician who served as mayor of Detroit from 1950 to 1957. Early and personal life Albert Cobo was born in Detroit on October 2, 1893. He married his childhood swe ...

and Congressman R. James Harvey. In 1963, Lockwood was elected to the

, representing Gratiot County,

Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: ** Clinton County, New York **Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, ...

, Shiawassee County, and portions of

Montcalm County Montcalm County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 66,614. The county is geographically located in the West Michigan region of the Lower Peninsula. The county seat is Stanton, and the large ...

and

Eaton County Eaton County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 109,175. The county seat is Charlotte. The county was organized in 1837 and was named for John Eaton, who was Secretary of War ...

. He was re-elected in 1965 and selected to serve as Senate Minority Leader by members of the Michigan Senate Republican Caucus. He was re-elected again in 1967 and selected to serve as Senate Majority Leader after Republicans won the majority of senate seats. Lockwood left the Michigan Senate in 1970 to launch an unsuccessful bid for

Michigan Secretary of State The Michigan Department of State is administered by the Secretary of State, who is elected on a partisan ballot for a term of four years in gubernatorial elections. The Secretary of State is the third-highest official in the State of Michigan. A ...

. With F.J. Coomes in 1971, he co-founded Public Affairs Associates, the state's first multi-client bipartisan lobbying firm. Lockwood was later appointed chief lobbyist and deputy director of the Michigan Department of Commerce under Governor

William Milliken William Grawn Milliken (March 26, 1922 – October 18, 2019) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 44th governor of Michigan. A member of the Republican Party, he is the longest-serving governor in Michigan history, servin ...

Personal life

In his later life, Lockwood retired to

Duck Key, Florida Duck Key is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Monroe County, Florida, United States, on an island of the same name in the middle Florida Keys. The CDP also includes the neighboring island of Conch Key. As of the 2020 ...

. He died in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 2002.

Bibliography

*''Man in Motion: Michigan's Legendary Senate Majority Leader, Emil Lockwood'', by Stanley C. Fedewa and Marilyn H. Fedewa, Llumina, 2003, distributed by Michigan State University Press.
Political Graveyard''
by Lawrence Kestenbaum.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lockwood, Emil 1919 births 2002 deaths Military personnel from Michigan Republican Party Michigan state senators People from Gratiot County, Michigan United States Navy personnel of World War II People from Ottawa, Illinois Ross School of Business alumni County commissioners in Michigan School board members in Michigan 20th-century American politicians Albion College faculty