Harry S. Toy (1892 – September 9, 1955) was an American politician, prosecutor, and judge.
He served as
Wayne County prosecutor (1930–1935),
Michigan attorney general (1935), and a justice of the
Michigan Supreme Court (1935–1937).
In November 1936, Toy, a
Republican, was defeated for reelection to the Michigan Supreme Court by
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 ...
Bert D. Chandler, by a vote of 862,147 to 755,227. Toy later served as the
commissioner of the Detroit Police Department from 1948 through 1950.
[Karen Dybis, ''Witch of Delray, The: Rose Veres & Detroit’s Infamous 1930s Murder Mystery'' (2017), p. 120.]
Both as a prosecutor and as police commissioner, Toy subscribed to
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making false or unfounded accusations of subversion and treason, especially when related to anarchism, communism and socialism, and especially when done in a public and attention-grabbing manner.
The term origin ...
and sought to root out and destroy
communism
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
, which Toy blamed for labor activism and various societal ills.
Toy planned to run for Governor of Michigan,
but died of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
at age 63 in Detroit.
Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society biography of Harry Toy
References
1892 births
1955 deaths
Justices of the Michigan Supreme Court
Michigan Attorneys General
Michigan Republicans
20th-century American judges
Detroit Police Department chiefs
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