Alexander Joseph Groesbeck was born on November 7, 1873, and died on March 10, 1953. He was an American politician who worked as the state attorney general and held the position of governor for the state of Michigan. He was the 30th person to serve as governor of Michigan.
Early life
Groesbeck was born in Warren, Michigan, the son of Macomb County Sheriff Louis Groesbeck and his wife Julia (Coquillard) Groesbeck. Groesbeck attended public schools in Mount Clemens, Michigan, and in Wallaceburg, Ontario, where his family lived for two years. Groesbeck wanted to become a lawyer from an early age and studied law in the office of an attorney in Port Huron, Michigan. He earned a law degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1893. He was admitted to the bar that year and began practicing law in Detroit. He quickly gained the respect, goodwill, and confidence of his colleagues because he followed the highest ethical standards of the profession.
Politics
In 1912, Groesbeck entered state politics by leading efforts to choose a group of people to represent Michigan at the Republican National Convention. This group supported the re-election of President William Howard Taft. Groesbeck also led the Republican group that backed Taft in the general election. That same year, he was elected as the state party chairman and held this position until 1914. In 1914, he ran for governor of Michigan but lost the Republican primary election to Chase S. Osborn. In 1916, he was elected attorney general of Michigan and was re-elected in 1918.
According to The New York Times, Attorney General Groesbeck supported a plan for Henry Ford to run for the United States Senate as a Republican. This idea faced opposition from many other Republicans.
In 1920, Groesbeck won the Republican primary election for governor and defeated Democrat and former governor Woodbridge N. Ferris in the general election. He was re-elected governor in 1922 and 1924 but lost the 1926 Republican primary election to Fred W. Green. In 1924, he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention, which selected President Calvin Coolidge for re-election. In addition to his political work, Groesbeck helped build the Flint-Saginaw Interurban Railway.
At the Detroit Club, he helped choose James Couzens as the Republican candidate for a Senate seat that became vacant after Truman Newberry left office.
In 1925, Groesbeck vetoed a law that would have created a state poet laureate. Time magazine reported that during his six years in office, Michigan’s highway system grew, prison reforms were approved, state titles for automobiles were introduced, and the state government was restructured and made more efficient.
He lost the 1930 Republican primary election to Wilber M. Brucker.
Groesbeck is known as an important "road builder" in Michigan. He was the first governor to support using concrete to improve roads and help Michigan move away from muddy conditions.
In 1924, he opposed a ballot initiative supported by the Public School Defense League, which would have required children to attend public schools and banned private schools. This position put him at odds with the Ku Klux Klan, which supported the opposing candidate, James Hamilton.
Retirement, death and legacy
Groesbeck was later chosen to be chairman of the Michigan Civil Service Commission and served from 1941 to 1944. In 1944, he also attended the Republican National Convention as a delegate. At that convention, Thomas Dewey was nominated as the Republican candidate for U.S. president. Dewey later lost the general election to President Franklin Roosevelt, who was running for a third term. Groesbeck was a member of the Detroit Bar Association, the Michigan Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. He was also known for his membership in the Detroit Club and the Detroit Athletic Club.
The papers related to Groesbeck’s time as governor are stored in the Archives of the State of Michigan. He passed away in Detroit and is buried there at Woodlawn Cemetery.
Groesbeck Highway (M-97) was named after him. This decision was made partly because the Groesbeck family was well-known in Macomb County and Oakland County, and partly because Groesbeck strongly supported the construction of roads and highways in Michigan.
A state historical marker in the City of Warren honors Groesbeck’s life and contributions.