Governor Hazen Stuart Pingree

HAZEN S. PINGREE, the twenty-fourth governor of Michigan, was born in Denmark, Maine on August 30, 1840. His education was limited and attained in the common schools of his native state. During the Civil War, he enlisted in the Union Army and served in the 1 st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery Regiment. He participated in several battles, was captured, and spent six months in a Confederate prison camp. After his military service, he established a successful shoe manufacturing business in Detroit. Pingree entered politics in 1890, serving as the mayor of Detroit, a position he held until 1896. He next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in 1896. He was reelected to a second term in 1898. During his tenure, the direct election of U.S. senators was promoted; an eight-hour workday was endorsed; a regulated income tax was supported; and railroad taxation was advocated. After completing his term, Pingree left office on January 1, 1901, and retired from public service. Governor Hazen S. Pingree passed away on June 18, 1901, and was buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan.