James E. Defebaugh III (October 8, 1926 – October 16, 2014) was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or again ...

member of the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

from 1971 to 1982.

Biography

Defebaugh was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

on October 8, 1926, to Carl and Martha Defebaugh. He served in the

United States Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

during

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 ...

and was a graduate of Knox College. Defebaugh later worked as an advertising consultant with the Campbell Ewald firm in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, primarily working with Chevrolet and

Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer he ...

. Defebaugh married Lois on October 17, 1953; she died in the fall of 2013. The chairman of the

Oakland County Oakland County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the metropolitan Detroit area, located northwest of the city. As of the 2020 Census, its population was 1,274,395, making it the second-most populous county in Michigan, b ...

Republican Party from 1968 to 1970, Defebaugh was elected to the House in 1970. During his tenure in the House, he was Republican whip and assistant floor leader. Defebaugh also served on the Michigan Bicentennial Commission, the Governor's Advisory Commission on the Regulation of Financial Institutions, and the Interstate Cooperation Commission. Defebaugh enjoyed history, particularly the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

. With his wife, he also traveled to 21 countries in Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.Obituary for James E. Defebaugh
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References

1926 births 2014 deaths Politicians from Chicago People from Birmingham, Michigan Knox College (Illinois) alumni Businesspeople from Michigan Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II People from Traverse City, Michigan 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century members of the Michigan Legislature {{Michigan-politician-stub