Labor Rises Up in Lansing: The 1937 Labor Holiday and Its
Wider State and National Context*
Thursday, April 20, 2017 - 7:00 p.m.
Downtown CADL - 401 S. Capitol Ave.
Join Professors Lisa Fine and John Beck as they
discuss the 1937 Lansing Labor Holiday, a city-wide general strike on June 7,
1937. Only a few days earlier, on May 21, workers at the Capital City Wrecking
Company struck. On June 1 an Ingham County judge granted an injunction, which
strikers largely ignored. In response the local Ingham County Sheriff arrested
the wife of strike leader Lester Washburn in the middle of the night. Her
husband, who was out of town, returned later in the morning to find his
children at home alone and his wife in jail. In response to this event, local
union leaders called for a general strike, which ended up involving several
thousand people, including so-called “flying squadrons,” union picketers who
traveled from strike to strike. The city was virtually shut down as cars were
parked across major streets and stores closed.
Beck
and Fine will discuss the Labor Holiday, and look at its broader state and
national context and significance. This program is part of a series of events
highlighting the year 1937.
*This
program was originally advertised as REO Joe in the March newsletter.
Building a Better World - the Life and Career of Governor
Frank Murphy
Saturday, April 22, 2017 - 1:30 p.m.
Lake Michigan Room - Library of Michigan- 702 W. Kalamazoo
St.
(Note location change)
Capitol
Historian and HSGL Vice President Valerie Marvin will give a talk on Governor
Frank Murphy, who held the chief executive’s office from 1937-1938, in
conjunction with HSGL’s series on the historic events of 1937.
Murphy
today remains one of Michigan’s most accomplished sons. Born in the small Thumb
town of Harbor Beach in 1890, he attended school at the University of Michigan
and served in World War I as a young man. After practicing law privately in
Detroit for several years, Murphy became the Chief Assistant Attorney General
for the eastern District of Michigan and then served on the Recorder’s Court
from 1923-1930. It was here that he gained fame as the judge for the Sweet
Trial, a nationally watched case involving an African-American family who moved
into a white neighborhood and was subsequently attacked. He served as Mayor of
Detroit 1930-1933, when he was appointed the Governor General of the
Philippines by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Murphy
returned to Michigan in 1936 to defeat Frank Fitzgerald for the governor’s
office. As chief executive he famously negotiated the Flint Sit-down Strike.
Upon losing his reelection bid to Fitzgerald in 1938 he turned his attention to
Washington, where he served as U.S. Attorney General for one year. On January
18, 1940, FDR nominated Murphy to the U.S. Supreme Court, where he served until
his death in 1949.
The Michigan State Police: 100 Years of History 1917-2018
Thursday, May 4, 2017 - 7:00 p.m.
Classroom C-1, MSP Training Academy
7426 N. Canal, Lansing
The
Michigan State Police (MSP) is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. MSP historian
Phil Schertzing will describe the origins and evolution of the department over
the past century. The presentation will include a number of significant
connections to major cases, locations, and events in the Greater Lansing
area.
