William Milliken

William Grawn Milliken (March 26, 1922 – October 18, 2019) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 44th Governor of Michigan. A member of the Republican Party, he is the longest-serving governor in Michigan history, serving more than three full four-year terms from 1969 to 1983. During this period he dealt with dramatic changes to the state economy, due to industrial restructuring and challenges to the auto industry, resulting in loss of jobs and population from Detroit, the state's largest city. He also oversaw the PBB crisis and adopted a policy of environmental protection and conservation[1][2].

William Milliken
44th Governor of Michigan
In office January 22, 1969 – January 1, 1983
Lieutenant	Thomas F. Schweigert (acting) James H. Brickley James Damman James H. Brickley
Preceded by	George W. Romney
Succeeded by	Jim Blanchard
Chair of the National Governors Association
In office September 9, 1977 – August 29, 1978
Preceded by	Reubin Askew
Succeeded by	Julian Carroll
54th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
In office January 1, 1965 – January 22, 1969
Governor	George W. Romney
Preceded by	T. John Lesinski
Succeeded by	Thomas F. Schweigert (acting)
Member of the Michigan Senate from the 27th district
In office January 1, 1961 – December 31, 1964
Preceded by	John Minnema
Succeeded by	William Romano
Personal details
Born	William Grawn Milliken (1922-03-26)March 26, 1922 Traverse City, Michigan, U.S.
Died	October 18, 2019(2019-10-18) (aged 97) Traverse City, Michigan, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Helen Wallbank ​ ( m. 1945; died 2012)
Children	2
Father	James T. Milliken
Relatives	James W. Milliken (grandfather)
Education	Yale University (BA)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1942–1945
Unit	United States Army Air Forces
Battles/wars	World War II

In 1992, the voters of Michigan approved a ballot initiative limiting governors to two terms for lifetime.

Early life

Milliken was born in Traverse City, Michigan, the second child in a family devoted to public service. His father, James T. Milliken, served as mayor of Traverse City and as Michigan State Senator for the 27th District, 1941–50, and his mother Hildegarde (née Grawn) served on the Traverse City School Board; she was the first woman elected to public office in the city.[3] Milliken's paternal grandfather James W. Milliken had previously one term as a Michigan state senator from the 27th District, 1898–1900.[4]

After graduating magna cum laude from Traverse City Senior High School[5][6][7], Milliken entered Yale University, where he met his future wife, Helen Wallbank. In 1942, he interrupted his studies to enlist in the Army Reserve Corps and, in early 1943, volunteered for the Army Air Corps. During World War II, he flew 50 combat missions as a waist-gunner on B-24 bombers and survived two crash landings. He received seven military honors, including the Purple Heart and Air Medal.[8][9]

On October 20, 1945, one month after his honorable discharge, Milliken married Helen. The couple had two children: a daughter, Elaine, a lawyer and feminist who died of cancer in 1993; and a son William, Jr. The following spring, Milliken graduated from Yale.

William and Helen Milliken moved back to Traverse City, Michigan that year and he became president of J.W. Milliken, Inc., a department store founded by his grandfather, and later run by his father. Helen Milliken died at the age of 89 on November 16, 2012 at their Traverse City home, from ovarian cancer.[10]

Political career

In 1947, Governor Kim Sigler appointed Milliken to the Michigan Waterways Commission. In 1960, Milliken was elected as a state senator from the 27th District, serving from 1961 to 1964. He was elected and served as the 52nd Lieutenant Governor of Michigan from 1965 to 1969. He succeeded to the position of governor after George W. Romney resigned from office to serve in President Richard Nixon's cabinet. Milliken was subsequently elected to full four-year terms in his own right in 1970, 1974, and 1978. He was considered to be a moderate Republican governor in the Nelson A. Rockefeller mold. In June 1982, the governor led the formation of the Council of Great Lakes Governors.

Governor for 14 years, Milliken is the longest-serving person in that position in state history. With governors limited to two elected terms in office since 1992, it is unlikely that any will serve longer than Milliken. John Engler served for 12 years as governor from 1991 to 2003, making him the second Republican after Milliken to serve three four-year terms.

In December 1982, Milliken appointed Dorothy Comstock Riley to the Michigan Supreme Court to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Blair Moody, Jr.. Riley had run for election to the Supreme Court in the 1982 general election and had been defeated. Milliken was leaving office in less than a month and newly elected Democratic Governor James Blanchard argued he should have made the appointment to replace Moody rather than Milliken. In 1983, the other Supreme Court Justices voted 4-2 to remove Riley from the court, and Blanchard appointed his own choice. Riley was elected to the court in her own right in 1985.[11]

Later life

After retiring from public office, Milliken moved back to Traverse City. He soon joined the board of directors of the Chrysler Corporation and chaired the Center for the Great Lakes, a research center dedicated to the protection of the Great Lakes[12].

In 2004, Milliken broke with party ranks to endorse Democratic Senator John Kerry in his bid to unseat George W. Bush as President of the United States: "The truth is that President George W. Bush does not speak for me or for many other moderate Republicans on a very broad cross section of issues."[13]

Milliken spoke at the funeral of former Mayor of Detroit Coleman Young in 1997, who was the first African American elected as mayor of that city. In 2008, he endorsed John McCain for president, but backed away in October after McCain's campaign began attacking Democratic candidate Barack Obama. He told the Grand Rapids Press that "He is not the John McCain I endorsed." Milliken expressed concern about the direction of the Republican Party: "Increasingly, the party is moving toward rigidity, and I don't like that. I think Gerald Ford would hold generally the same view I'm holding on the direction of the Republican Party."[14]

In 2010, Milliken endorsed businessman Rick Snyder in the Republican gubernatorial primary.[15] He also backed Snyder in the general election. In the 2014 Michigan gubernatorial election, Milliken endorsed Snyder again for a second term. Milliken did not limit his support to Republican candidates, supporting Democrat Gary Peters in the 2014 United States Senate election in Michigan instead of the Republican nominee, Terri Lynn Land.[16]

In 2015, Milliken signed an amicus brief in support of same-sex marriage.[17] In August 2016, Milliken announced that he would vote for Hillary Clinton for president in the 2016 presidential election, saying that Donald Trump does not embody Republican ideals.[18] On October 18, 2019, William Milliken died after years of declining health at his home in Traverse City.[9] Milliken was honored with a memorial service on August 6, 2020 at Interlochen Center for the Arts[19][20].

Honors

• In 1976, Governor Milliken was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by Yale University, his alma mater.
• In 2006 Dave Dempsey published a biography on Milliken titled, William G. Milliken: Michigan's Passionate Moderate. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press (ISBN 0472033638/ISBN 978-0472033638)
• In fall 2009, the state of Michigan named a new state park (William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor), located on the riverfront in Detroit, in honor of the former governor.[21]
• Rooms 290, 291, and 292 of Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island are collectively known as the Milliken Suite. They are located at the east end of the second floor overlooking the golf course.

References

1. "Two governors, two environmental disasters". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
2. "William G. Milliken Biography" (PDF). michigan.gov.
3. "William G. Milliken Biography" (PDF). Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
4. "Index to Politicians profile". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved June 7, 2006.
5. "Michigan lawmakers honor former Gov. William G. Milliken". WZZM13.com. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
6. "Michigan Legislative Biography". Library of Michigan.
7. [e-mail], Patti Brandt Burgess. "Newsmakers: Longest-serving Michigan Gov. William Milliken dies". Traverse City Record-Eagle. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
8. Downes, Robert. "The Very Best People". Northern Express. Traverse City. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
9. Livengood, Chad; Mauger, Craig (October 18, 2019). "Bill Milliken, Michigan's Longest-Serving Governor, Dies". The Detroit News. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
10. Householder, Mike (November 16, 2012). "Helen Milliken, former Michigan first lady, dies at 89". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
11. "Dorothy Comstock Riley Passes Away at 79" (Press release). State Bar of Michigan. October 25, 2004. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
12. "BHL: William G. Milliken papers". quod.lib.umich.edu. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
13. "Statement by William G. Milliken". Traverse City Record-Eagle. October 18, 2004. Archived from the original on October 21, 2004. Retrieved June 7, 2006.
14. Shellenbarger, Pat (October 10, 2008). "Former Governor Milliken Backs Away from McCain". Grand Rapids Press. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
15. Cranson, Jeff (July 22, 2010). "Rick Snyder Wins Endorsement from Former Gov. Bill Milliken". The Grand Rapids Press. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
16. Oosting, Jonathan (September 12, 2014). "Former Michigan Gov. Bill Milliken Backs Rick Snyder for Governor, Gary Peters for Senate". MLive.
17. Miller, Zeke J. (April 5, 2015). "More than 300 Republicans Call on Supreme Court to Recognize Gay Marriage Nationally". Time. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
18. Gray, Kathleen (August 8, 2016). "Former Michigan Republican Gov. Milliken Endorses Clinton over Trump". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
19. Wanschura, Peter Payette, Daniel. "Former Michigan Gov. Bill Milliken remembered today at Interlochen". www.interlochenpublicradio.org. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
20. "Memorial for Gov. William G. Milliken: Information for attendees". Interlochen Center for the Arts. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
21. "William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor". Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved December 7, 2009.

Add TO References: ANGEL, DAN WILLIAM G. MILLIKEN: A TOUCH OF STEEL, PUBLIC AFFAIRS PRESS, 1970.

External links

• William Milliken at Find a Grave

Political offices
Preceded by John Lesinski	Lieutenant Governor of Michigan 1965–1969	Succeeded by Thomas F. Schweigert Acting
Preceded by George Romney	Governor of Michigan 1969–1983	Succeeded by Jim Blanchard
Preceded by Reubin Askew	Chair of the National Governors Association 1977–1978	Succeeded by Julian Carroll
Party political offices
Preceded by George Romney	Republican nominee for Governor of Michigan 1970, 1974, 1978	Succeeded by Richard Headlee
Preceded by Louie B. Nunn	Chair of the Republican Governors Association 1971–1972	Succeeded by Lin Holton