Grover Cleveland Dillman (July 18, 1889 – April 14, 1979) was an American engineer and politician who was the President of the

Michigan College of Mining and Technology Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. ...

(now known as the Michigan Technological University) from 1933 to 1956. Dillman held several positions in the Michigan state government over a 20-year career as an engineer for the State Highway Department, most notably as the elected state highway commissioner from 1929 to 1933.

Early life and education

Dillman was born on July 18, 1889, in

Bangor Township, Van Buren County, Michigan Bangor Township is a civil township of Van Buren County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the township population was 2,147. The City of Bangor is located in the northeast corner of the township, but is administratively auto ...

. He attended elementary schools in rural Wood School (one room) in Bangor Township Van Buren County, and graduated from Bangor High School in 1909. He attended the

Michigan Agricultural College Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

, receiving a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in civil engineering in 1913.

Michigan State Highway Department

Shortly after graduating from the Michigan Agricultural College in 1913, Dillman became an engineer for the

Michigan State Highway Department The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is a constitutional government principal department of the US state of Michigan. The primary purpose of MDOT is to maintain the Michigan State Trunkline Highway System which includes all Interstate ...

, working in the

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by t ...

. He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a state maintenance engineer in 1920, and the deputy state highway commissioner in 1922, a position he held until 1929.

State Highway Commissioner

In 1929, Dillman was elected Michigan state highway commissioner as a member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

. His time in office was marked by the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, which left millions of Americans without work. Dillman established a program which put an estimated 100,000 people to work on highways, reducing unemployment in the state by approximately 6%. Dillman announced his candidacy for the Highway Commissioners position on January 19, 1933, but was defeated in the April 3, 1933, election by the Democratic machine in Detroit and Lansing.

Later career

On July 1, 1933, the day after he left office as state highway commissioner, Dillman was appointed as the director of public service for the City of

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

. He held that position until 1935, when he was appointed by Governor

Frank Fitzgerald Frank Dwight Fitzgerald (January 27, 1885 – March 16, 1939) was an American politician. He was elected as the 34th and 36th Governor of Michigan and was the only Michigan governor to die in office. Early life Fitzgerald was born in Grand Le ...

as the director of the State Welfare Department. Dillman held the office for only eight months, as he resigned to assume the presidency of the Michigan College of Mining and Technology.

President of the Michigan College of Mining and Technology

Dillman took office as president of the

on August 15, 1935, succeeding

William O. Hotchkiss William Otis Hotchkiss (September 17, 1878 – June 20, 1954) was the third president of Michigan Technological University and the tenth president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Biography He was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin on September 17 ...

. His presidency saw significant changes in the college, most notably the creation of a branch campus in Sault Ste. Marie. Under Dillman's leadership, the college procured the village of

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, establishing the Ford Forestry Center and Research Forest in 1954. In 1952, the Memorial Union Building was established, which sits at the centre of the university's main campus. It has since been remodeled, and now hosts a cafeteria; billiards, meeting rooms; student organization offices; and lounges. The college's enrollment significantly increased following

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, with temporary housing being established due to the influx of veterans. Several programs were added during Dillman's presidency, including engineering administration; physics; and geological engineering. He retired as president of the college in 1956.

Personal life and death

Dillman married Anna Broadwell on December 15, 1914, with whom he had two children, Dorothy and Helen. Anna was the daughter of William and Rosa Broadwell who were Bangor pioneers engaged in the lumber business. His wife died in 1969 in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

. Dillman died in

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...

, on April 14, 1979, at the age of 89.

Legacy and honours

The Grover C. Dillman Hall in the Michigan Technological University is named after him, as is the Dr. Grover C. Dillman Memorial Scholarship Fund. Dillman was awarded the honorary 33rd degree in Masonry for his lifetime of public service. The degree was awarded to him in Philadelphia in September 1950.

Honorary degrees

Doctor of Engineering The Doctor of Engineering, or Engineering Doctorate, (abbreviated DEng, EngD, or Dr-Ing) is a degree awarded on the basis of advanced study and a practical project in the engineering and applied science for solving problems in the industry. In the ...

from the Michigan Technological University in

Houghton, Michigan Houghton (; ) is the largest city and seat of government of Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located on the Keweenaw Peninsula, Houghton is the largest city in the Copper Country region. It is the fifth-largest city in the Uppe ...

* Master of Highway Engineering from the

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

East Lansing, Michigan East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County, Michigan, Ingham County with a smaller portion extending north into Clinton County, Michigan, Clinton County. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dillman, Grover 1889 births 1979 deaths State cabinet secretaries of Michigan People from Bangor, Michigan Michigan Republicans People from Van Buren County, Michigan 20th-century American politicians American engineers Presidents of Michigan Technological University American people of German descent