Harold Martin Ryan (February 6, 1911 – March 8, 2007) was a politician and judge 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 sove ...
of
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
. He was twice elected to 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
, serving from 1962 to 1965.
Early life and career
Ryan was born in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
,
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
. He graduated from St. Joseph's High School in 1929. He attended Ferris Institute (now
Ferris State University
Ferris State University (FSU or Ferris) is a public university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan. It was founded in 1884 and became a public institution in 1950. Ferris is the ninth-largest institutions of higher education by enrol ...
of
Big Rapids, Michigan
Big Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,601 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Mecosta County. The city is located within Big Rapids Township, but it is politically independent. Big Rapids is home ...
1929-1930 as well as attended Michigan State College (now
Michigan State University) of
East Lansing
East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County with a smaller portion extending north into Clinton County. At the 2020 Census the population was 47,741. Located directly east of the state capital ...
1930–1932. He received a
J.D. from the
University of Detroit Law School in 1935 and admitted to the bar the same year and engaged in private practice. He later assistant prosecuting attorney of
Wayne County, 1945–1946.
Political career
Ryan served as a member of the
Michigan Senate, 1948–1962, and was minority leader for the final six years. He was a delegate to Michigan state conventions every two years from 1940 to 1970 and a delegate to the
Democratic National Conventions of
1956
Events
January
* January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan.
* January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, ar ...
,
1960
It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism.
Events
January
* Jan ...
, and
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...
.
On February 13, 1962, in a special election, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of
U.S. Representative
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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
Louis C. Rabaut, Ryan was elected as a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
from
Michigan's 14th congressional district
Michigan's 14th congressional district was a congressional district that stretched from eastern Detroit westward to Farmington Hills, then north to the suburb of Pontiac. From 1993 to 2013, it was based entirely in Wayne County.
It was last r ...
to the
87th Congress
The 87th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 1961 ...
. In November 1962, Ryan was reelected to a full term in the
88th Congress, serving from February 13, 1962 to January 3, 1965. He was an unsuccessful candidate for re-nomination to the 89th Congress in 1964, losing to fellow Democrat
Lucien N. Nedzi. He also lost against Nedzi in the primaries two years later.
After Congress
A decade after leaving Congress, he served as circuit judge of
Wayne County for the third judicial circuit of Michigan from 1976 to 1985. He was a visiting judge from 1985 to 2006.
Harold M. Ryan was a Catholic and a member of
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...
,
Lions
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult ...
, and
Gamma Eta Gamma. He lived in
St. Clair Shores, Michigan
St. Clair Shores is a suburban city bordering Lake Saint Clair (North America), Lake St. Clair in Macomb County, Michigan, Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It forms a part of the Metro Detroit area, and is located about northeast of d ...
until his death of
congestive heart failure
Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...
at 96 years of age.
Harold M. Ryan, '35 - 1911-2007
, '' UDM School of Law''
References
External links
The Political Graveyard
Obituary from Detroit Free Press
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Harold Martin
1911 births
2007 deaths
Catholics from Michigan
Democratic Party Michigan state senators
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan
Michigan state court judges
Michigan State University alumni
University of Detroit Mercy alumni
Ferris State University alumni
People from St. Clair Shores, Michigan
20th-century American politicians
20th-century American judges
Politicians from Detroit