Events from the year 2015 in Michigan. Top stories of 2015 included: * The Flint water crisis, including a declaration of emergency by Flint's mayor on December 15 and the resignation of MDEQ Director Dan Wyant on December 29 * The emergence of Detroit from the

Detroit bankruptcy The city of Detroit, Michigan, filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy on July 18, 2013. It is the largest municipal bankruptcy filing in U.S. history by debt, estimated at $18–20 billion, exceeding Jefferson County, Alabama's $4-billion filing in 201 ...

* The conviction of Bob Bashara in the Death of Jane Bashara * The trial of

Charles Pugh Charles Pugh (born August 3, 1971) is an American former television journalist, radio personality, and politician from Detroit, Michigan. For ten years, he served as the weekend anchor at WJBK in Detroit. He also served as the radio personality ...

for having sex with a minor * The role of two Michigan nurses in the June 24 Supreme Court decision (

Obergefell v. Hodges ''Obergefell v. Hodges'', ( ), is a landmark LGBT rights case in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection ...

) legalizing gay marriage * The extramarital affair (and use of taxpayer funds to cover it up) between two freshmen

Tea Party A tea party is a social gathering event held in the afternoon. For centuries, many societies have cherished drinking tea with a company at noon. Tea parties are considered for formal business meetings, social celebrations or just as an afternoon ...

legislators (

Todd Courser Todd Anthony Courser (born August 2, 1972) is an American lawyer, Tea Party Republican politician, and former member of the Michigan House of Representatives who resigned his seat when it became clear that he would be expelled for misconduct and ...

and

Cindy Gamrat Cindy Gamrat ( née Bauer; born June 15, 1973) is a former Republican member of the Michigan House of Representatives, representing the 80th district. She was first elected in 2014, after playing a leading role in organizing the Tea Party movem ...

) * The legal battle by

Richard Wershe Jr. Richard Wershe Jr. (born July 18, 1969), known as "White Boy Rick", is an American former drug trafficker and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant. The youngest known informant in the history of the FBI, Wershe became a confidential in ...

, aka "White Boy Rick", to win his freedom * Efforts to eradicate the

New Zealand mud snail The New Zealand mud snail (''Potamopyrgus antipodarum'') is a species of very small freshwater snail with a gill and an operculum. This aquatic gastropod mollusk is in the family Tateidae. It is native to New Zealand, where it is found through ...

from Michigan waterways.

Office holders

State office holders

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 ...

Rick Snyder Richard Dale Snyder (born August 19, 1958) is an American business executive, venture capitalist, attorney, accountant, and politician who served as the 48th governor of Michigan from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Snyder previ ...

(

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 The lieutenant governor of Michigan is the second-ranking official in U.S. state of Michigan, behind the governor. The current lieutenant governor by default is Garlin Gilchrist, a Democrat, who has held the office since January 1, 2019. Proce ...

Brian Calley Brian Nelson Calley (born March 25, 1977) is an American politician who served as the 63rd Lieutenant Governor of Michigan from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was previously elected to the Michigan House of Representatives f ...

(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, me ...

Bill Schuette William Duncan Schuette ( ; born October 13, 1953) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 53rd attorney general of Michigan from 2011 to 2019. He was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Senate in 1990 and for Governor of Mich ...

(Republican) *

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 ...

Ruth Johnson Ruth Johnson (born January 8, 1955) is an American politician who served as the Secretary of State of Michigan and is a current member of the Michigan Senate for State Senate District 14. She is a former member of the Michigan House of Represe ...

(Republican) * Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives:

Kevin Cotter Kevin M. Cotter (born September 26, 1977) is an American politician who represented the 99th District in the Michigan House of Representatives.Majority Leader of the Michigan Senate: Arlan Meekhof (Republican) * 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 state ...

Robert P. Young Jr. Robert P. Young Jr. (born June 13, 1951) is a former justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. Young was first appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court in 1999, elected in 2000 and 2002, and again won reelection in 2010 for a term ending in 2019. Jus ...

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 o ...

Mike Duggan Michael Edward Duggan (born July 15, 1958) is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician serving as the 75th mayor of Detroit, Michigan since 2014. A member of the Democratic Party, Duggan previously served as the Wayne County Prosecutor ...

(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 ...

George Heartwell George Heartwell is an American politician. He was the mayor of the city of Grand Rapids in the U.S. state of Michigan. He was sworn in on January 1, 2004, and exited his mayoral duties after ending his third term on January 16, 2016. Education ...

* Mayor of

Warren, Michigan Warren is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2020 Census places the city's population at 139,387, making Warren the largest city in Macomb County, the third largest city in Michigan, and Metro Detroit's largest suburb. T ...

: James R. Fouts *

Mayor of Ann Arbor This is a list of mayors of Ann Arbor, Michigan, beginning with Ann Arbor's incorporation as a city on April 4, 1851. References Ann Arbor mayors, Political Graveyard website* Samuel W. Beakes, Past and Present of Washtenaw County' (Washtenaw C ...

: Christopher Taylor (Democrat) *

Mayor of Lansing List Lansing, Michigan, was incorporated as a city on February 15, 1859. * Hiram H. Smith, 1859 * John A. Kerr, 1860 * William H. Chapman, 1861–62 * Dr. Ira H. Bartholomew, 1863–65 * Dr. William H. Haze, 1866 * George W. Peck, 1867 * ...

Virgil Bernero Virgil Paul "Virg" Bernero (born March 31, 1964) is an American politician and former mayor of Lansing, Michigan, elected on November 8, 2005, and re-elected on November 3, 2009. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Prior to serving as mayor, ...

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 ...

Dayne Walling Dayne Walling (born ) is an American politician who was the mayor of Flint, Michigan from 2009 to 2015. Although the Flint mayor's office is a nonpartisan position, Walling is a member of the Democratic Party. Life Early life and education Wa ...

Karen Weaver Karen Williams Weaver is an American psychologist and politician who was the mayor of Flint, Michigan, from 2015 to 2019. She was the first female mayor of the city and the 5th African-American to hold the office. Weaver is a member of the Dem ...

Federal office holders

Gary Peters, official portrait, 114th Congress

* U.S. Senator from Michigan:

Debbie Stabenow Deborah Ann Stabenow ( ; née Greer, born April 29, 1950) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Michigan, a seat she has held since 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, she became the state's first female ...

(

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 ...

) * U.S. Senator from Michigan:

Gary Peters Gary Charles Peters Sr. (born December 1, 1958) is an American lawyer, politician, and former military officer serving as the junior United States senator from Michigan since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representativ ...

(Democrat) * House District 1:

Dan Benishek Daniel Joseph Benishek (April 20, 1952 – October 15, 2021) was an American physician and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2017. He was a member of the Republican Party. Early life and education Benishek was b ...

(Republican) * House District 2:

Bill Huizenga William Patrick Huizenga ( ; born January 31, 1969) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for , serving in Congress since 2011. The district, numbered as the 2nd district from 2011 to 2023, covers much of Lake Michigan's eas ...

(Republican) * House District 3:

Justin Amash Justin Amash ( ; born April 18, 1980) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2021. Originally a Republican, Amash joined the Libertarian Party in April 2020, becoming the party's first (and, ...

(Republican) * House District 4:

John Moolenaar John Robert Moolenaar ( ; born May 8, 1961) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Michigan's 4th congressional district since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Michigan House of Representatives ...

(Republican) * House District 5:

Dan Kildee Daniel Timothy Kildee (; born August 11, 1958) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Michigan's 5th congressional district since 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party. From 1977 to 2009, Kildee was a municipal e ...

(Democrat) * House District 6:

Fred Upton Frederick Stephen Upton (born April 23, 1953) is an American politician serving as a U.S. representative from Michigan since 1987, representing the state's 6th congressional district since 1993. He is a member of the Republican Party. His dist ...

(Republican) * House District 7:

Tim Walberg Timothy Lee Walberg (born April 12, 1951) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative from since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he previously represented the from 2007 to 2009 and from 2011 to 2023. Early life, educa ...

(Republican) * House District 8: Mike Bishop (Republican) * House District 9:

Sander Levin Sander Martin Levin (born September 6, 1931) is an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 2019, representing (numbered as the from 1983 to 1993 and as the from 1993 to 2013). Levin, a member o ...

(Democrat) * House District 10:

Candice Miller Candice Sue Miller (née McDonald; born May 7, 1954) is an American politician serving as the Public Works Commissioner of Macomb County, Michigan since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, Miller previously served as the U.S. representative ...

(Republican) * House District 11: David Trott (Republican) * House District 12:

Debbie Dingell Deborah Ann Dingell (; ; November 23, 1953) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who has been the U.S. representative for Michigan's 12th congressional district since 2015. She is the widow of John Dingell, her predecess ...

(Democrat) * House District 13:

John Conyers John James Conyers Jr. (May 16, 1929October 27, 2019) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as a U.S. representative from Michigan from 1965 to 2017. The districts he represented always included part of western Detroit. ...

(Democrat) * House District 14:

Brenda Lawrence Brenda Lulenar Lawrence (born October 18, 1954) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative from Michigan's 14th congressional district from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Lawrence served as mayor of Southfield ...

(Democrat)

Population

In the 2010 United States Census, Michigan was recorded as having a population of 9,883,640 persons, ranking as the eighth most populous state in the country. The state's largest cities, having populations of at least 75,000 based on 2016 estimates, were as follows:

Sports

Baseball

2015 Detroit Tigers season The 2015 Detroit Tigers season was the team's 115th season, and their 16th season at Comerica Park. This season saw the release of President and General Manager Dave Dombrowski, who had been with the team since 2002. In a season plagued by injurie ...

– * 2015

Michigan Wolverines baseball The Michigan Wolverines baseball team represents the University of Michigan in NCAA Division I college baseball. Along with most other Michigan athletic teams, the baseball team participates in the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games ...

team - * 2015

Michigan Wolverines softball The Michigan Wolverines softball team represents the University of Michigan in National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I competition. College softball became a varsity sport at the University of Michigan in 1978. Bonnie Thol ...

team -

American football

2015 Detroit Lions season The Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 86th season in the National Football League, their 82nd as the Detroit Lions and the second under Head Coach Jim Caldwell. By Week 7 of the season, the Lions had already lost six games, more than they ...

– *

2015 Michigan Wolverines football team The 2015 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the sport of college football during the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wolverines competed in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference, and ...

- *

2015 Michigan State Spartans football team The 2015 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference during the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Michigan State played their home games at Spartan Stadium in ...

- *

2015 Western Michigan Broncos football team The 2015 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University (WMU) in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by third-year head coach P. J. Fleck and played their home games at Waldo Stadium as a me ...

- *

2015 Central Michigan Chippewas football team The 2015 Central Michigan Chippewas football team represented Central Michigan University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by first-year head coach John Bonamego and played their home games at Kelly/Shorts Stadium ...

- *

2015 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team The 2015 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team represented Eastern Michigan University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Chris Creighton. The Eagles played their home games at Rynearson Stadi ...

Basketball

* 2014–15 Detroit Pistons season – *

2014–15 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team The 2014–15 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by 20th year head coach Tom Izzo, played their home games at the Bresl ...

- *

2014–15 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team The 2014–15 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games in Ann Arbor, Michigan for the 48th consecutive year at t ...

- *

2014–15 Detroit Titans men's basketball team The 2014–15 Detroit Titans men's basketball team represented the University of Detroit Mercy in the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Ray McCallum in his 7th season. The Titans played their home games at C ...

- * 2014–15 Michigan State Spartans women's basketball team - * 2014–15 Michigan Wolverines women's basketball team -

Ice hockey

2014–15 Detroit Red Wings season The 2014–15 Detroit Red Wings season was the 89th season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on September 25, 1926. Off-season On May 23, 2014, it was announced that restricted free agent centre Cory Emmerton ...

– * 2014–15

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, the ...

team - In their 28th season under head coach

Red Berenson Gordon Arthur "Red, The Red Baron" Berenson (born December 8, 1939) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and head coach of the Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team from 1984 to 2017. Berenson was inducted into Canada's Sports ...

, the Wolverines compiled a 22–15 record. * 2014–15

Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey The Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team that represents Michigan State University (MSU). The team plays at the Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Michigan, on the MSU campus. The current head coach is Adam Ni ...

team - Under head coach

Tom Anastos Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in '' Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

, the Spartans compiled a 17–16–2 record.

Racing

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 cou ...

- *

Pure Michigan 400 The NASCAR Cup Series has held stock car racing, stock car races annually at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan since 1969. Traditionally, the track held two Cup Series races, one in June, around Father's Day weekend and anothe ...

- *

Detroit Grand Prix The title of Detroit Grand Prix was applied to the Formula One races held at the Detroit street circuit in Detroit, Michigan, United States of America from 1982 through 1988. History In 1982, the U.S. became the first country to host three Wo ...

- not held

Other

Michigan Open The Michigan Open is the Michigan state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Michigan section of the PGA of America. It has been played annually since 1916 at a variety of courses around the sta ...

Music

Chronology of events

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Deaths

* January 9 -

Roy Tarpley Roy James Tarpley (November 28, 1964 – January 9, 2015) was an American professional basketball player. He played the power forward and center positions in the National Basketball Association (NBA), earning an NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in ...

, University of Michigan basketball player (1982–1986), at age 50 in Texas * February 2 -

Dave Bergman David Bruce Bergman (June 6, 1953 – February 2, 2015) was an American Major League Baseball first baseman, designated hitter and left fielder who played between 1975 and 1992. Early life Born in Evanston, Illinois, Bergman was an alumnus of M ...

, Detroit Tigers first baseman (1984–1992), at age 61 in Grosse Pointe Woods * April 16 -

Robert P. Griffin Robert Paul Griffin (November 6, 1923 – April 16, 2015) was an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Michigan in the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate and was a Justice of the M ...

, U.S. Senator from Michigan (1966–1979), at age 91 in

Traverse City, Michigan Traverse City ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was ...

* April 17 -

A. Alfred Taubman Adolph Alfred "Al" Taubman (January 31, 1924 – April 17, 2015) was an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He was convicted in 2002 for a price-fixing scheme involving the top two auction houses in the United States. Backgro ...

, businessman and entrepreneur, at age 91 in Bloomfield Hills * April 26 -

Marcel Pronovost Joseph René Marcel Pronovost (June 15, 1930April 26, 2015) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and coach. He played in 1,206 games over 20 National Hockey League (NHL) seasons for the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs bet ...

, Hall of Fame player for Detroit Red Wings (1949–65), at age 84 in

Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the souther ...

* April 29 -

Calvin Peete Calvin Peete (July 18, 1943 – April 29, 2015) was an American professional golfer. He was the most successful African-American to have played on the PGA Tour, with 12 wins, prior to the emergence of Tiger Woods. Peete won the 1985 Tournament P ...

, professional golfer and Detroit native, at age 71 in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

* June 5 -

Jane Briggs Hart Jane "Janey" Briggs Hart ( Briggs; October 21, 1921 – June 5, 2015) was an American aviator and in the 1960s, became one of the Mercury 13 women who qualified physically in the same tests as those used for male astronauts. She earned her first ...

, aviator and Detroit native, at age 93 in Connecticut * June 23 -

Tommy Hudspeth Tommy Joe Hudspeth (September 14, 1931 – June 23, 2015) was an American and Canadian football coach and executive at both the collegiate and professional levels. He was the head coach at Brigham Young University (BYU) from 1964 to 1971, and the ...

, Detroit Lions head coach (1976-1977), at age 83 in Oklahoma * July 2 -

Charlie Sanders Charles Alvin Sanders (August 25, 1946 July 2, 2015) was an American professional football player who was a tight end for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) from 1968 to 1977. Sanders was chosen for the NFL's 1970s All-D ...

, Hall of Fame tight end for Detroit Lions (1968–1977), at age 68 in Royal Oak * August 3 -

Mel Farr Melvin Farr (November 3, 1944 – August 3, 2015) was an American professional football player and businessman. A native of Beaumont, Texas, Farr played college football as a halfback on the 1965 and 1966 UCLA Bruins football teams that w ...

, Detroit Lions running back (1967–1973) and automobile dealer, at age 70 in Detroit * August 29 -

Wayne Dyer Wayne Walter Dyer (May 10, 1940 – August 29, 2015) was an American self-help author and a motivational speaker. Dyer completed a Ed.D. in guidance and counseling at Wayne State University in 1970. Early in his career, he worked as a high sch ...

, self-help author and Detroit native, at age 75 in Hawaii * October 12 -

Joan Leslie Joan Leslie (born Joan Agnes Theresa Sadie Brodel; January 26, 1925 – October 12, 2015) was an American actress and vaudevillian, who during the Hollywood Golden Age, appeared in such films as '' High Sierra'' (1941), ''Sergeant York'' (1941) ...

, actress and Detroit native, at age 90 in Los Angeles * October 19 - Bill Daley, All-American back for Michigan in 1943, at age 96 in Minnesota * December 22 -

Daisy Elliott Daisy L. Elliott (November 26, 1917 – December 22, 2015), was an American politician and realtor from the state of Michigan. Early life Elliott was born Daisy Elizabeth Lenoir in Filbert, West Virginia, and resided in Detroit, Michigan. She w ...

, politician and realtor, at age 98 in Detroit

Gallery of 2015 deaths

File:Robert Paul Griffin.jpg,

File:1957 Topps Marcel Pronovost.png,

File:Mel Farr.jpg,

File:Joan Leslie 1946.jpg,

References

{{Michigan year nav