Alva Marvin Cummins (February 24, 1869August 8, 1946) was an American lawyer. Cummins was admitted to the bar in 1891. From there, he went on to serve in leadership positions of multiple bar associations. Cummins also had a political career marked by several electoral defeats. Cummins was nominated by the Democratic party for positions such as congressman, governor, and state attorney general.

Early life and education

Alva M. Cummins was born on February 24, 1869 in

Perry, Michigan Perry is a city in Shiawassee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,188 at the 2010 census. The city is surrounded by Perry Township, but the two are administered autonomously. History A post office has been in operation in ...

to parents Jeptha and Phebe Cummins. Alva's parents were pioneers from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Alva received a public school education. In 1881, Alva's parents moved to

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...

. There, Alva began studying at Groton College. In 1888, the Cummins family moved back to Michigan, settling in

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

. Alva graduated from Kalamazoo College. After studying in the law office of Samuel L. Kilbourne in

Lansing Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, makin ...

, Alva was admitted to the Michigan Bar in 1891.

Career

Legal career

After being admitted to the bar, in 1891, Cummins started to practice law in Mason. In 1896, Cummins was elected Ingham County Prosecuting Attorney. On January 1, 1897, Cummins formed a partnership with lawyer Louis B. McArthur. In 1899, Cummins moved to Lansing, where he joined the law firm which became known as Thomas, Cummins & Nichols. In 1912, the firm changed name to Cummins & Nichols. In 1922, Cummins once again began practicing alone as Cummins and Charles W. Nichols dissolved the firm. By 1938, Cummins was part of a firm entitled Cummins & Cummins. Cummins served as the chairman of the commission which drafted the Michigan Judicature Act of 1915, which recodified Michigan court procedure. Cummins was a part of several bar associations, including the Lansing Bar Association, the Ingham County Bar Association which he had been the dean of, the

State Bar of Michigan The State Bar of Michigan is the governing body for lawyers in the State of Michigan. Membership is mandatory for attorneys who practice law in Michigan. The organization's mission is to aid in promoting improvements in the administration of jus ...

which he served as the president of, and the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

Political career

Cummins was a life long Democrat who made several unsuccessful attempts to run for political office in his life. Cummins served four years on the Lansing board of education. Cummins was a member of the Michigan Democratic State Central Committee in 1907. In 1908, Cummins was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Cummins was the Democratic nominee for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

seat representing the 6th congressional district in

1910 Events January * January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...

and

1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ...

. In 1922, Cummins served as the chairman of the Democratic state advisory convention, with no intention to run for office himself, however, without Cummins' prior knowledge, the convention nominated him for governor. In the September Democratic primary, Cummins won against the only other candidate, James B. Balch, former mayor of Kalamazoo. Cummins was defeated by incumbent Republican

Alex J. Groesbeck Alexander Joseph Groesbeck (November 7, 1873 – March 10, 1953) was an American politician who served as attorney general and the 30th governor of Michigan. Early life Groesbeck was born in Warren, Michigan, the son of Macomb County Sheriff L ...

in the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

on November 7. Cummins received 218,252 votes, compared to Groesbeck's 356,933. Cummins again served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1924. There, he presented Governor

Woodbridge N. Ferris Woodbridge Nathan Ferris (January 6, 1853March 23, 1928) was an American educator from New York, Illinois and Michigan who served as the 28th governor of Michigan and in the United States Senate as a Democrat. Early life in New York, Michigan a ...

as a potential presidential nominee. In 1926, Cummins was the Democratic nominee for Michigan Attorney General, ultimately being defeated by William W. Potter. Cummins received 154,031 votes compared to Potter's 415,981. In

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

, Cummins was a candidate for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

, but he was defeated in the primary. Despite being a Democrat, Cummins was appointed to some positions by Republican governors. Governor

Fred W. Green Fred Warren Green (October 19, 1871November 30, 1936) was an American politician who served as the 31st governor of Michigan from 1927 to 1931, and he was the mayor of Ionia, Michigan, from 1913 to 1916. Active in athletics during his time as ...

appointed Cummins to the public utilities commission, which he served on from May 1929 to June 1931. Governor

Luren Dickinson Luren Dudley Dickinson (April 15, 1859 – April 22, 1943) was an American politician. He served as the 37th governor of Michigan from 1939 to 1941. He holds the record of the oldest person to ever serve as Michigan governor, beginning at the age ...

appointed Cummins to the liquor control commission in 1940.

Personal life

Cummins married Jennie Osborn on May 25, 1892. Together, they had one daughter. Jennie died on April 19, 1898. On February 22, 1900, Cummins married Fannie Fitch. Fannie's grandfather, Ferris S. Fitch, and her father, Charles C. Fitch, were both prominent Democratic politicians who served in the

Michigan Legislature The Michigan Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of an upper chamber, the Senate, and a lower chamber, the House of Representatives. Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ...

. Together, they had two children. Fannie died on May 13, 1942, and was interred at Maple Grove Cemetery in Mason. Cummins was a

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

and a member of the

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, profe ...

Later life and death

In 1944, Cummins moved to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

for retirement after illness prevented him from being active in political and legal affairs. In 1946, Cummins visited his son, Charles Fitch Cummins, and stayed at his house near

Okemos Okemos ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Ingham County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population of the CDP was 21,369 at the 2010 census. Okemos is located mostly within Meridian Charter Township, with a small portion extending sout ...

. While visiting, Cummins died of a heart attack on August 8.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cummins, Alva M. 1869 births 1946 deaths American Freemasons Michigan Democrats Michigan lawyers People from Shiawassee County, Michigan People from Mason, Michigan Politicians from Lansing, Michigan Kalamazoo College alumni 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians 20th-century American politicians