Murray Delos Van Wagoner was born on March 18, 1898, and died on June 12, 1986. He was an American politician who supported laws that helped improve society and the economy. Van Wagoner was the 38th governor of Michigan, serving from 1941 to 1943.
Early life
Van Wagoner was born in Kingston, Michigan, in Tuscola County. In 1921, he earned a civil engineering degree from the University of Michigan. He worked for a company and later started his own business. He married Helen Jossman, and together they had two children.
Politics
Van Wagoner worked as Oakland County drain commissioner from 1930 until 1933. He then became Michigan State Highway commissioner, a role he held until he was elected governor in 1940. He attended the Democratic National Conventions in 1936 and 1940, both of which nominated Franklin D. Roosevelt for U.S. President again.
On November 5, 1940, Van Wagoner defeated the current Republican governor of Michigan, Luren Dickinson, by 131,281 votes to become Michigan's 38th governor. During his two years in office, he supported road projects, including the famous Mackinac Bridge. He reduced a $27 million money shortage, reopened the state mental hospital, created a combined tax collection department, addressed worker strikes in the auto and electrical industries, began reorganizing the state employee system, and helped prepare for the war effort.
In 1942, Van Wagoner did not win re-election against Republican Harry Kelly. He attended the 1944 Democratic National Convention, which nominated Roosevelt for his fourth term as president. In 1946, he ran for governor again but lost to Republican Kim Sigler.
In October 1947, General Lucius D. Clay named Van Wagoner as military governor of Bavaria, replacing Brigadier General Walter J. Muller. During his time as military governor, he advised Bavarian leader Hans Ehard not to replace non-Nazi public workers with former Nazis.
Van Wagoner left his position as military governor in November 1949. He attended the 1952 Democratic National Convention, which nominated Adlai Stevenson for president. Stevenson did not win the election, as General Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected president instead.
Retirement, death and legacy
Van Wagoner left politics and returned to his work in engineering. He was a member of the American Legion, Freemasons, Elks, and the National Exchange Club. He died when he was eighty-eight in Farmington Hills, Michigan. He is buried at White Chapel Memorial Cemetery in Troy, Michigan.
Today, the Michigan Department of Transportation building in Lansing is named the Murray Van Wagoner Transportation Building. A portrait of Governor Van Wagoner, painted by John Coppin, is displayed in the rotunda of the Michigan State Capitol.