Events from the year 1932 in Michigan.

Office holders

State office holders

* Governor of Michigan: Wilber M. Brucker (

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

) * Lieutenant Governor of Michigan: Luren D. Dickinson (Republican) *

Michigan Attorney General The Attorney General of the State of Michigan is the fourth-ranking official in the U.S. state of Michigan. The officeholder is elected statewide in the November general election alongside the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, m ...

: Paul W. Voorhies *

Michigan Secretary of State The Michigan Department of State is administered by the Secretary of State, who is elected on a partisan ballot for a term of four years in gubernatorial elections. The Secretary of State is the third-highest official in the State of Michigan. A ...

: Frank D. Fitzgerald * Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives: Fred R. Ming * Chief Justice,

Michigan Supreme Court The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's court of last resort and consists of seven justices. The Court is located in the Michigan Hall of Justice at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, the sta ...

Mayors of major cities

Mayor of Detroit This is a list of mayors of Detroit, Michigan. See History of Detroit, Michigan, for more information about the history of the incorporation of the city. The current mayor is Mike Duggan, who was sworn into office on January 1, 2014. History ...

Frank Murphy William Francis Murphy (April 13, 1890July 19, 1949) was an American politician, lawyer and jurist from Michigan. He was a Democrat who was named to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1940 after a political career that included serving ...

(Democrat) *

Mayor of Grand Rapids This is a list of mayors of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The current mayor is Rosalynn Bliss, who was sworn into office on January 1, 2016. References {{Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat ...

: John D. Karel *

Mayor of Flint The mayor position of Flint, Michigan is a strong mayor-type. In Flint's previous 1929 charter, the mayor was one of the City Commissioners, as the council in a council-manager type government. 1855–1888 The mayor was one of many citywide ele ...

: William H. McKeighan * Mayor of Lansing: Peter F. Gray * Mayor of Ann Arbor: H. Wirt Newkirk

Federal office holders

* U.S. Senator from Michigan: James J. Couzens (Republican) * U.S. Senator from Michigan:

Arthur Vandenberg Arthur Hendrick Vandenberg Sr. (March 22, 1884April 18, 1951) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Michigan from 1928 to 1951. A member of the Republican Party, he participated in the creation of the United Natio ...

(Republican) * House District 1: Robert H. Clancy (Democrat) * House District 2:

Earl C. Michener Earl Cory Michener (November 30, 1876 – July 4, 1957) was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Michener had German American, German ancestry. He was born near Attica, Ohio, Attica in Seneca County, Ohio. He moved with his parents to A ...

(Republican) * House District 3:

Joseph L. Hooper Joseph Lawrence Hooper (December 22, 1877 – February 22, 1934) was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Hooper was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 22, 1877 and moved to Michigan with his parents, who settled in Battle Creek, Mich ...

(Republican) * House District 4: John C. Ketcham (Republican) * House District 5:

Carl E. Mapes Carl Edgar Mapes (December 26, 1874 – December 12, 1939) was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Mapes was born on a farm near Kalamo, Michigan, to Selah W. and Sarah Ann (Brooks) Mapes. His father was born in New York (state), New Y ...

(Republican) * House District 6: Seymour H. Person (Republican) * House District 7: Jesse P. Wolcott (Republican) * House District 8: Michael J. Hart (Democrat) * House District 9: James C. McLaughlin (Republican) * House District 10: Roy O. Woodruff (Republican) * House District 11:

Frank P. Bohn Frank Probasco Bohn (July 14, 1866 – June 1, 1944) was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. He served three terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1927 to 1933 Early life and education Bohn was born in Charlottesvi ...

(Democrat) * House District 12:

W. Frank James William Francis James (May 23, 1873 – November 17, 1945) was a soldier and politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Biography James was born in Morristown, New Jersey, and moved with his parents to Hancock, Michigan, in 1876, where he atten ...

(Republican) * House District 13: Clarence J. McLeod (Republican)

Population

Sports

Baseball

* 1932 Detroit Tigers season – Under manager

Bucky Harris Stanley Raymond "Bucky" Harris (November 8, 1896 – November 8, 1977) was an American professional baseball second baseman, manager and executive. While Harris played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators and Detroit Tiger ...

, the Tigers compiled a 76-75 record and finished in fifth place in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

. The team's statistical leaders included

Gee Walker Gerald Holmes "Gee" Walker (March 19, 1908 – March 20, 1981) was a Major League Baseball outfielder. During his fifteen-year career he played with the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Re ...

with a .323

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

Charlie Gehringer Charles Leonard Gehringer (May 11, 1903 – January 21, 1993), nicknamed "the Mechanical Man", was an American professional baseball second baseman, coach, general manager, and team vice president, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for ...

with 19

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s, John Stone with 109 RBIs,

Earl Whitehill Earl Oliver Whitehill (February 7, 1899 – October 22, 1954) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Detroit Tigers for the most significant portion of his career (1923–1932), and later with the Washington Senators (1933� ...

with 16 wins, and

Tommy Bridges Thomas Jefferson Davis Bridges (December 28, 1906 – April 19, 1968) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career with the Detroit Tigers from 1930 to 1946. During the 1930s, he used an outstanding cu ...

with a 3.36

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

. * 1932 Michigan Wolverines baseball season - Under head coach Ray Fisher, the Wolverines compiled a 19–15–1 record. Art Superko was the team captain.

American football

1932 Michigan Wolverines football team Year 193 ( CXCIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sosius and Ericius (or, less frequently, year 946 ''Ab urbe condi ...

– Under head coach

Harry Kipke Harry George Kipke (; March 26, 1899 – September 14, 1972) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach. He was the head football coach at Michigan State College in 1928 and at the University of Michigan from 1929 to 193 ...

, the Wolverines compiled a perfect 8–0 record, tied for the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

championship, and were selected as national champions under the

Dickinson System The Dickinson System was a mathematical point formula that awarded national championships in college football. Devised by University of Illinois economics professor Frank G. Dickinson, the system crowned national champions from 1925 to 1940. Dicki ...

. Quarterback Harry Newman was a consensus first-team All-American and also won the ''Chicago Tribune'' Silver Football as the most valuable player in the Big Ten.

Chuck Bernard Joseph Charles Bernard (August 29, 1911 – March 1962) was an American football player. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines from 1931 to 1933 teams and was the starting center on the 1932 and 1933 teams that compiled a co ...

and

Ted Petoskey Frederick Lee "Ted" Petoskey (January 5, 1911 – November 30, 1996) was a three-sport athlete at the University of Michigan, a Major League Baseball player, a collegiate coach in three sports and an athletic director. At the University of Michi ...

were also selected as first-team All-Americans by some selectors. * 1932 Michigan State Spartans football team – Under head coach

Jim Crowley James Harold "Sleepy Jim" Crowley (September 10, 1902 – January 15, 1986) was an American football player and coach. He gained fame as one-fourth of the University of Notre Dame's legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield where he played halfback fr ...

, the Spartans compiled a 7–1 record. * 1932 Western State Hilltoppers football team - Under head coach

Mike Gary Mitchell J. "Mike" Gary (April 17, 1900 – December 30, 1969) was an American college football player and coach and athletics administrator. He was an All-Big Ten football player for the Minnesota Golden Gophers in 1926 and 1927 and served in ...

, the Hilltoppers compiled a 6–0–1 record. *

1932 Detroit Titans football team The 1932 Detroit Titans football team represented the University of Detroit in the 1932 college football season. Detroit outscored opponents by a combined total of 136 to 66 and finished with an 8–2 record in their eighth year under head coach ...

– The Titans compiled an 8–2 record under head coach

Gus Dorais Charles Emile "Gus" Dorais (July 2, 1891 – January 3, 1954) was an American football player, coach, and athletic administrator. Dorais played college football at the University of Notre Dame, where he was an All-American in 1913 at quarterback ...

. * 1932 Michigan State Normal Hurons football team - Under head coach

Elton Rynearson Elton James Rynearson Sr. (April 7, 1893 – February 8, 1967) was an American athlete, coach, and college athletics administrator. He was affiliated with Eastern Michigan University (known as Michigan State Normal College prior to 1956) for most ...

, the Hurons compiled a 5–2 record. * 1932 Central State Bearcats football team - Under head coach George Van Bibber the Bercats compiled a 3–4–1 record. * 1932 Detroit City College Tartars football team – The Tartars compiled a 1–6 record under head coach

Joe Gembis Joseph George Gembis (September 29, 1907 – July 5, 1969), sometimes known by the nickname "Dynamite Joe", was an American football player and coach. He played college football at the University of Michigan from 1926 to 1929 and professional foot ...

Basketball

* 1931–32

Western Michigan Broncos men's basketball The Western Michigan Broncos men's basketball team represents Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The school's team competes in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and are coached by Dwayne Stephens. The team last played in the N ...

team – Under head coach

Buck Read Herbert William "Buck" Read (February 8, 1880 - August 15, 1970) was an American basketball coach. He was the head coach for the Western Michigan Broncos men's basketball team from 1922 through 1949. He was also president of the National Associat ...

, the Broncos compiled a 14–5 record. * 1931–32

Michigan State Spartans men's basketball The Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Michigan State University. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference of NCAA Division I college basketball. The Spartans have won ...

team – Under head coach Benjamin Van Alstyne, the Spartans compiled a 12–5 record. *

1931–32 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team The 1931–32 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate basketball during the 1931–32 season. The team compiled an 11–6 record and 8–4 against Big Ten Conference opponents. The te ...

– Under head coach

Franklin Cappon Franklin C. "Cappy" Cappon (October 17, 1900 – November 29, 1961) was an American college football and college basketball player and coach. He played football and basketball at Phillips University and the University of Michigan and coached at Lu ...

, the Wolverines compiled an 11–6 record. * 1931–32 City College of Detroit (CCD) men's basketball team – Under coach Newman Ertell, CCD (later known as Wayne State) compiled an 11–6 record. * 1931–32

Detroit Titans men's basketball The Detroit Mercy Titans men's basketball team is the college basketball team that represents University of Detroit Mercy in Detroit, Michigan, and competes in NCAA Division I men's basketball as a member of the Horizon League. Traditionally, the ...

team – Under head coach

Lloyd Brazil Francis Lloyd Brazil (April 24, 1906 – April 3, 1965) was an American athlete, coach and athletic director at the University of Detroit for 38 years. He played Halfback (American football), halfback for the University of Detroit American footbal ...

, the Titans compiled an 8–8 record.

Ice hockey

* 1931–32 Detroit Falcons season – Under coach

Jack Adams John James Adams (June 14, 1894 – May 1, 1968) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach and general manager in the National Hockey League and Pacific Coast Hockey Association. He played for the Toronto Arenas, Vancouver Millionair ...

, the Falcons compiled an 18–20–10 record, finished in third place in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL) American Division, and lost in the playoff quarter-finals to the

Montreal Maroons The Montreal Maroons (officially the Montreal Professional Hockey Club) were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL). They played in the NHL from 1924 to 1938, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935. They were the las ...

Ebbie Goodfellow Ebenezer Robertson Goodfellow (April 9, 1907 – September 10, 1985) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Goodfellow played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for fourteen seasons with the Detroit Red Wings from 1929 to 1944 a ...

led the team with 14 goals, 16 assists, and 30 points.

Alec Connell Alexander "The Ottawa Fireman" Connell (February 8, 1902 — May 10, 1958) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Falcons, New York Americans and Montreal Maroons teams in the National Hock ...

was the team's goaltender. * 1931–32

Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey The Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team that represents the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Earning varsity status in 1922, the program has competed in 100 seasons. Between 1959 and 1981, th ...

team – Under head coach Ed Lowrey, the Wolverines compiled a 9–6–2 record. * 1931–32

Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey The Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey team is an NCAA Division I college ice hockey program that represents Michigan Technological University. The Huskies are a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). They play at the ...

team – Under head coach Bert Noblet, the Huskies compiled a 6–5–2 record.

Other

Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race The Bayview Mackinac Boat Race is run by the Bayview Yacht Club of Detroit, Michigan. It is one of the longest fresh-water races in the world with over two hundred boats entering the race each year. There have been at least six changes to the co ...

– * Michigan Open -

Chronology of events

January

February

March

* March 7 -

Ford Hunger March The Ford Hunger March, sometimes called the Ford Massacre, was a demonstration on March 7, 1932 in the United States by unemployed auto workers in Detroit, Michigan, which took place during the height of the Great Depression. The march started in ...

, a demonstration of unemployed workers starting in Detroit and ending in Dearborn that resulted in four workers being shot to death by the Dearborn Police Department and security guards employed by the Ford Motor Company

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Births

* May 26 -

Joe Altobelli Joseph Salvatore Altobelli (May 26, 1932 – March 3, 2021) was an American professional baseball first baseman and outfielder who played for the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball. He was also a manager for the San Fr ...

, Major League Baseball manager (1977-1991), in Detroit * June 13 -

Charles W. Misner Charles W. Misner (; born June 13, 1932) is an American physicist and one of the authors of '' Gravitation''. His specialties include general relativity and cosmology. His work has also provided early foundations for studies of quantum gravity ...

, physicist and co-author of '' Gravitation'', in Jackson, Michigan * December 15 -

Curtis Fuller Curtis DuBois Fuller (December 15, 1932May 8, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist. He was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and contributed to many classic jazz recordings. Early life Fuller was born in Detroit on December 15, 1932. ...

, jazz trombonist in Detroit. * December 19 -

Carl Pursell Carl Duane Pursell (December 19, 1932 – June 11, 2009) was an American politician of the Republican Party. He was born in Imlay City, Michigan and graduated from Plymouth High School, Plymouth, Michigan, in 1951. He worked in his father's bu ...

, U.S. Congressman (1977-1993), in

Imlay City, Michigan Imlay City is a city in Lapeer County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,869 at the 2000 census and 3,585 at the 2020 census. History Imlay City was founded on April 1, 1850 by Charles Palmer, the chief engineer of the Port Huro ...

Gallery of 1932 births

File:Joe Altobelli 1983.jpg,

File:CharlesMisner2009 01.jpg,

File:Carl Pursell.jpg,

File:Curtis Fuller.jpg,

Deaths

* January 8 - Joseph W. Fordney, U.S. Congressman (1899-1923), at age 78 in

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...

* October 11 - William Alden Smith, United States Senator (1907-1919), United States Representative (1895-1907), at age 73 in Grand Rapids * October 18 - William E. Upjohn, founder of Upjohn Pharmaceuticals, at age 79

Gallery of 1932 deaths

File:Joseph W. Fordney.jpg, Joseph W. Fordney File:William Alden Smith 2.jpg, William Alden Smith File:1 WE Upjohn 5x8.jpg, William E. Upjohn

References

{{Michigan year nav