Governor Cyrus Gray Luce

CYRUS G. LUCE, the twenty-first governor of Michigan, was born in Windsor, Ohio on July 2, 1824. His education was limited and attained in the common schools of Ohio and Indiana. After moving to Michigan, Luce entered into a political career. He served as a member of the County Board of Supervisors in 1852, was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1855 to 1856, and was elected county treasurer in 1858 and 1860. He also served as a member of the Michigan State Senate from 1865 to 1868, and served on the 1867 State Constitutional Convention. Luce next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and went on to win election to the governorship on November 2, 1886. He was reelected to a second term in 1888. During his tenure, the position of state game warden was established; and a local liquor option law was sanctioned. After completing his term, Luce left office on January 1, 1891, and retired from political life. Governor Cyrus G. Luce passed away on March 18, 1905, and was buried in the Oak Grove Cemetery in Coldwater, Michigan.