Timothy Bledsoe (born June 18, 1953) is a politician and college professor from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. In 2008, he was elected as a Democrat to the

Michigan State House of Representatives Michigan ( ) is a peninsular state in the Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, Indiana and Illinois to the southwest, Ohio ...

, taking office in 2009 and serving until 2012. He represented the 1st District, which was located in Wayne County and included the cities of Harper Woods,

Grosse Pointe Grosse Pointe is a group of five adjacent suburbs in the Metro Detroit, Detroit metropolitan area on the shore of Lake St. Clair. From southwest to northeast, they are: *Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, Grosse Pointe Park *Grosse Pointe, Michiga ...

, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Park, Grosse Pointe Shores, Grosse Pointe Woods, and a small portion of

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 ...

. He previously served as a political science professor at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

Early life

Timothy Bledsoe was born on June 18, 1953, in

Lake Village, Arkansas Lake Village is a city in and the county seat of Chicot County, Arkansas, Chicot County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 2,575 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is located in the Arkansas Delta. Lake Village is name ...

. He graduated from Lakeside High School in Lake Village in 1971. He received a B.A. in Political Science from

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

in 1976. In 1978, he received an M.A. in Political Science from the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...

. He received a Ph.D. in Political Science from the

University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

in 1984. After receiving his Ph.D., Bledsoe began teaching political science at the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

, where he taught until 1989. In 1989, Bledsoe moved to

Grosse Pointe, Michigan Grosse Pointe is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 5,678. Grosse Pointe is an eastern suburb of Metro Detroit along La ...

and took a job teaching at

, where he taught until elected to the State House in 2008. Bledsoe has written several books on the study of urban politics, including ''Careers in City Politics'', and ''Urban Reform and its Consequences''. He is married to Dr. Mary Herring, also a professor at Wayne State. They have one daughter, named Daisy, and are members of Christ Church Grosse Pointe in Grosse Pointe Farms.

Political career

Tim Bledsoe was a precinct organizer for Democratic Presidential Candidate

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

during the 2004 presidential election. In 2006, he unsuccessfully challenged sitting State Representative Edward Gaffney for his seat in the State House. Bledsoe ran again for the 1st District in 2008, when term limits required Gaffney to step down. Bledsoe won the 2008 Democratic Primary that also included Harper Woods mayor Kenneth Poynter with nearly 55% of the vote. He faced Republican Mary Treder Lang in the general election. He defeated her with 57% of the vote.

Electoral history

*2008 election for State House **Tim Bledsoe (D), 56.78% **Mary Treder Lang (R), 43.22% *2008 Democratic Primary election for State House **Tim Bledsoe (D), 54.92% **Kenneth Poynter (D), 38.12% **Edward Ruedemann (D), 3.51% **Ronald Diebel (D), 3.46% *2006 election for State House **Ed Gaffney (R), 52% **Tim Bledsoe (D), 46% *2006 Democratic Primary election for State House **Tim Bledsoe (D), 49% **Je Donna Dinges (D), 29% **William Miller (D), 21%

External links

Official Website House Democrats WebsiteCampaign Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bledsoe, Tim 1953 births Living people People from Lake Village, Arkansas Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Louisiana State University alumni University of Arkansas alumni University of Nebraska alumni People from Grosse Pointe, Michigan 21st-century members of the Michigan Legislature