Kim Sigler
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Kimber Cornellus Sigler, commonly known as Kim Sigler (né Zeigler; May 2, 1894 – November 30, 1953), was an American attorney and politician who served as the 40th
governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of government 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 the state's 49th governor. She was re-ele ...
from 1947 to 1949.


Early life

Sigler was born Kimber Cornellus Zeigler in
Schuyler, Nebraska Schuyler is a city in Colfax County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,211 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Colfax County. The city (as well as the county) is named after former Vice President of the United States, Schu ...
, the son of Bertha and David Zeigler. The family's surname was changed to Sigler during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. He was educated at 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 ...
, and later at the
University of Detroit Mercy The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Cath ...
where, in 1918, he received a law degree. Sigler established a successful legal career in various firms in Detroit,
Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...
and
Battle Creek Battle Creek is a city in northwestern Calhoun County, Michigan, United States, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a tota ...
, Michigan. He was also the special prosecutor in the grand jury investigation of corruption in the
state legislature A state legislature is a Legislature, legislative branch or body of a State (country subdivision), political subdivision in a Federalism, federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of ...
. He married Mae L. Pierson and they had one child together.


Politics

In 1928, Sigler was the Democratic candidate 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 ...
, yet was unsuccessful losing to Republican Wilber Marion Brucker, who was elected
Governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of government 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 the state's 49th governor. She was re-ele ...
two years later. Sigler would later switch to the Republican Party. In 1942, he was a candidate in the Republican primary from the 8th District for a seat in the
state senate In the United States, the state legislature is the legislative branch in each of the 50 U.S. states. A legislature generally performs state duties for a state in the same way that the United States Congress performs national duties at ...
. He was also a member of
Rotary International Rotary International is one of the largest 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, goodwill, and p ...
. On November 5, 1946, Sigler, nicknamed Hollywood Kim, was elected Governor of Michigan, defeating former governor Murray Van Wagoner in the general election. During his two years in office, state agencies were reorganized and the department of administration was created. In 1947, he received his
Private Pilot License A private pilot licence (PPL) or private pilot certificate is a type of pilot licence that allows the holder to act as pilot in command of an aircraft privately (not for remuneration). The basic licence requirements are determined by the Inter ...
. In 1948, he served as a delegate to the
Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...
, which re-nominated
Thomas Dewey Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 47th Governor of New York from 1943 to 1954. He was the Republican Party's nominee for president of the United States in 1944 and ...
as their candidate for U.S. President to defeat President
Harry S Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th Vice president of the United States, vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Frank ...
, yet Dewey was again unsuccessful as he was against
Franklin 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 ...
four years earlier. Dewey carried Michigan, but Sigler was unsuccessful that year, as he was defeated for re-election for governor by Democrat Soapy Williams. After running unsuccessfully for re-election, Sigler left office on January 1, 1949, and retired from political life.


Retirement and death

Nearly five years after leaving office at the age of fifty-nine, Sigler and three passengers were killed when the plane he was piloting on a foggy night collided with a television broadcast tower (WBCK-TV) near
Augusta, Michigan Augusta is a village in Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 885 at the 2010 census. The village is mostly within Ross Township, though a small portion extends south into Charleston Township. Augusta is situat ...
. He was interred at Riverside Cemetery of Hastings, Michigan. A portrait of Governor Sigler, painted by John Coppin, hangs in the rotunda of the
Michigan State Capitol The Michigan State Capitol is the building that houses the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the portion of the List of U.S. state capitals, state capital of Lansing, Michigan, Lansing which lies in In ...
.


Historical marker

A marker designating Sigler's home in Hastings as a
Michigan Historic Site The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office is one of 59 state historic preservation offices established according to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 that plays a role in implementing federal historic preservation policy in th ...
was erected in 1987 by the Bureau of History, Michigan Department of State. The inscription reads:
Kim Sigler (1894-1953), a native of Schuyler, Nebraska, received his law degree from the University of Detroit in 1918. While attending law school, Sigler worked at Henry Ford’s Highland Park plant. He first practiced law in Detroit, where he worked in the office of Edwin Denby, former secretary of the navy, and Judge Arthur Webster. In 1922 his family moved to Hastings. A Democrat at that time, he was elected as Barry County prosecutor for three consecutive terms. In 1928 he unsuccessfully ran against Wilber M. Brucker for attorney general. In the late 1920s Sigler took office as city attorney, serving in that capacity for over ten years. He returned to private practice and moved to Battle Creek in 1943. Kim Sigler’s vigor and courtroom manner led to his selection as a special prosecutor for a grand jury probe of legislative graft in 1943. The success of this investigation gave him a statewide reputation. Though originally a Democrat, he won the Republican gubernatorial nomination and election in 1946. His was one of the largest gubernatorial majorities in the country that year. In office, he created the Department of Administration, effected changes in the Prison and Corrections Department, and revitalized the unemployment compensation program and the Public Service Commission. However, he faced an uncooperative legislature and division within his cabinet. He was defeated for reelection in 1948. He died while piloting his own plane in a crash near Battle Creek on November 30, 1953.


References


External links


Kim Sigler
at ''National Governors Association''

at ''Political Graveyard''

* *MI State Capitol Portrait Collecti

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sigler, Kim 1894 births 1953 deaths Governors of Michigan Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Methodists from Michigan Accidental deaths in Michigan Michigan Republicans University of Michigan alumni University of Detroit Mercy alumni People from Schuyler, Nebraska Michigan Democrats Republican Party governors of Michigan Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1953 20th-century Michigan politicians