Harry S. Toy
Harry S. Toy (1892 – September 9, 1955) was an American politician, prosecutor, and judge.
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He served as Wayne County Prosecutor (1930–1935), Michigan Attorney General (1935), and a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court (1935–1937). Both as a prosecutor and as police commissioner, Toy subscribed to McCarthyism and sought to root out and destroy communism, which Toy blamed for labor activism and various societal ills.[1] In November 1936, Toy, a Republican, was defeated for reelection to the Michigan Supreme Court by Democrat Bert D. Chandler, by a vote of 862,147 to 755,227.[2] From 1947 to 1950, he was the police commissioner of Detroit.[3] He planned to run for Governor of Michigan,[3] but died of a heart attack at age 63 in Detroit.[4][5][6]
References
- Shelton Stromquist, Labor's Cold War: Local Politics in a Global Context (2008), p. 127.
- "Official Count of State Votes Now Complete", Traverse City Record-Eagle (December 1, 1936), p. 14.
- Karen Dybis, Witch of Delray, The: Rose Veres & Detroit’s Infamous 1930s Murder Mystery (2017), p. 120.
- "Harry Toy Dies of Heart Ailment". Detroit Free Press. September 10, 1955. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- Presentation Of The Portrait Of The Honorable Harry S. Toy, Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society.
- Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society biography of Harry Toy.
Legal offices | ||
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Preceded by Patrick H. O’Brien |
Michigan Attorney General 1935 |
Succeeded by David H. Crowley |
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Nelson Sharpe |
Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court 1935–1937 |
Succeeded by Bert D. Chandler |