Merrill I. Mills (November 4, 1819 – September 14, 1882) was a businessman and mayor of Detroit.
Biography
Merrill I. Mills was born on November 4, 1819 in
Canton, Connecticut,
the son of Isaac and Asenath Merrill Mills.
Although his parents preferred he take up a professional career, Mills found he had no taste for college life, and in 1833, he joined his father's gunpowder manufacturing firm.
In 1838, he moved to Alabama to represent the firm there, but in 1840 his father's health began to fail and the younger Mills moved back to Canton and take the reins of the business.
However, in 1845, Mills decided to start a new business in the west. Originally he intended to set up shop in
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...
, but the early closing of navigation in the fall
forced him to lay over for some time in Detroit.
Sensing an opportunity, Mills abandoned his original plan and opened a general store in Detroit.
He also began trading in furs, and soon established a reputation as one of the best-known fur traders in the area.
In 1850, he began manufacturing cigars, continuing and expanding the business, founding the Nevin & Mills company in 1861 and the Banner Tobacco Company in 1878.
In 1867, Mills partnered with two other businessmen to open the Detroit Stove Works. In 1872
Jeremiah Dwyer
Jeremiah, Modern: , Tiberian: ; el, Ἰερεμίας, Ieremíās; meaning "Yah shall raise" (c. 650 – c. 570 BC), also called Jeremias or the "weeping prophet", was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish ...
started the
Michigan Stove Company along with Mills and other businessmen. In addition, he was also connected with Detroit's First National Bank, Detroit Fire and Marine Insurance, Eldredge Sewing Machine Company of Chicago, and the Frankfort Furnace Company; and was president of the Transit Railway Company of Detroit.
Politics
Mills was a staunch
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 ...
, serving as chair of the Democratic State Committee in 1856 and 1857.
He spent great effort and money equipping Michigan regiments during the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
.
He was mayor of Detroit in 1866-1867, and in 1868 ran unsuccessfully for US Congress. He served on the Detroit Board of Estimates, and in 1876 was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.
Personal
Mills married Cynthia A. Barbour.
The couple had two children, Merrill B. Mills and Ella B. Mills.
Health issues forced Mills's retirement from business and politics in 1880, and Mills died on September 14, 1882, survived by his wife and two children;
his son Merrill B. Mills succeeded him in running his business interests.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, Merrill I.
1819 births
1882 deaths
Mayors of Detroit
People from Canton, Connecticut
19th-century American politicians