Winston Perry Bullard (September 2, 1942 – October 15, 1998), was a Democratic politician and lawyer in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...

. Bullard was born in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

and attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. After serving in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, he obtained his law degree from the

University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a Public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of C ...

. He then ran successfully for the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

in 1972. He continued to hold his 53rd district seat, representing

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), ...

, until 1993. Bullard was known for his strongly liberal stances and his passion for defending and expanding personal civil liberties. He was one of a few members of the

Democratic Socialists of America The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a Left-wing politics, left-wing Democratic Socialists of America#Tendencies within the DSA, multi-tendency Socialism, socialist and Labour movement, labor-oriented political organization. Its roots ...

to be elected to public office. According to the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

, Bullard was part of a group of young liberal representatives who, during the 1970s, were known as the "Kiddie Caucus"; other members included

David Hollister David Hollister (born April 3, 1942) served as the mayor of Lansing, Michigan from 1993 to 2003, until he resigned to be the director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth under Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm's administra ...

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 ...

and Morris Hood of

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 th ...

. Early in his tenure, Bullard was the subject of criticism after he was photographed using

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

at the second annual

Hash Bash Hash Bash is an annual event held in Ann Arbor, Michigan, originally held every April 1, but now on the first Saturday of April at noon on the University of Michigan Diag. A collection of speeches, live music, and occasional civil disobedience ar ...

, a rally promoting less restrictive marijuana laws. Bullard told reporters who surrounded him as he smoked that "there's nothing wrong with it." Bullard eventually came to chair the state house Judiciary Committee. He sponsored the Open Meetings Act, the Michigan Freedom of Information Act, and blocked legislation that would have revived the death penalty and loosened requirements for police wiretaps. A decorated naval veteran of the Vietnam War, in which he served in 1966–67, he later renounced his 13 medals at an antiwar rally. During the 1990s, after retiring from the state legislature, Bullard ran unsuccessfully for a state judgeship. Bullard and his wife moved to

Port St. Lucie, Florida Port St. Lucie is a city in St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. It is the most populous municipality in the county with a population of 204,851 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is located southeast of Orlando, Florida, O ...

in 1996, but both returned to Michigan in 1998. Bullard died in

Canton Township, Michigan Canton, officially the Charter Township of Canton, is a charter township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township had a population of 98,659. Canton Township is Michigan's second most-populated townshi ...

on October 15, 1998.

References

External links

* Perry Bullard information a
The Political Graveyard
* Associated Press,

" ''Michigan Daily'', 19 Oct. 1998. * Extensive biographical feature in Dave Dempsey
"Perry Bullard: Liberal Lawmaker, 1972-1992,"
''Michigan Historical Review'', 22 Mar. 2003. *
African Activist Archive Project: online material by and about anti-apartheid work of Perry Bullard as a state legislator in the 1970s and 1980s
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bullard, Perry 1942 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American politicians Harvard University alumni Lawyers from Cleveland Members of the Democratic Socialists of America from Michigan Members of the Michigan House of Representatives Politicians from Ann Arbor, Michigan Politicians from Cleveland University of Michigan Law School alumni Michigan socialists 20th-century American lawyers

See also

References

External links