Justin Rice Whiting (February 18, 1847 – January 31, 1903) was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Whiting was born in Bath, New York, and moved to Michigan in 1849 with his parents, who settled in St. Clair, Michigan. He attended the public schools and the University of Michigan at

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...

from 1863 to 1865. He worked as a merchant and manufacturer. Whiting was elected mayor of St. Clair in 1879 and represented the 17th District in the Michigan State Senate in 1882. He was elected as a Democrat from Michigan's 7th congressional district to the

50th United States Congress The 50th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1887, ...

and reelected to the 51st, 52nd, and 53rd Congresses, serving from March 4, 1887 until March 3, 1895. After leaving Congress, Whiting resumed his former business pursuits in St. Clair. He was an unsuccessful Fusion candidate for

Governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of state, head of government, and chief executive of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the stat ...

in 1898, losing to incumbent Republican

Hazen S. Pingree Hazen Stuart Pingree (August 30, 1840 – June 18, 1901) was a four-term Republican mayor of Detroit (1889–1897) and the 24th Governor of the U.S. State of Michigan (1897–1901). A Yankee who migrated from New England, he was a successful Rep ...

. He also ran for election in 1900 to the

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, losing to incumbent Republican

Edgar Weeks Edgar Weeks (August 3, 1839 – December 17, 1904) was a military officer, judge and politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Biography Weeks was born in Mount Clemens, Michigan, where he attended the public schools and learned the printi ...

. Whiting married Emily F. Owen, with whom he had 10 children. Their son, also named Justin Rice Whiting (1886–1965), was president of the Consumers Power Company from 1949 to 1959. Whiting also served as chairman of the Democratic State central committee. He died in St. Clair and is interred there at Hillside Cemetery.

References

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whiting, Justing Rice 1847 births 1903 deaths Burials in Michigan Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan Mayors of places in Michigan Michigan Silverites Democratic Party Michigan state senators People from Bath, New York People from St. Clair, Michigan University of Michigan alumni 19th-century American politicians