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1942
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Events from the year 1942 in Michigan.

Top stories

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The Associated Press polled editors of its member newspapers in Michigan and ranked the state's top news stories of 1942 as follows:[1]

  1. Stephan treason trial. Max Stephan, a German-born Detroit tavernkeeper, was convicted of treason on July 2; the jury deliberated for only one hour and 23 minutes. In April 1942, Stephan harbored and fed at his tavern a German pilot who escaped from a Canadian POW camp.[2] On August 6, Judge Arthur J. Tuttle sentenced Stephan to death by hanging.[3] He was the first man convicted and sentenced to death on a federal treason charge since the Civil War. In July 1943, nine hours before the time set for his hanging, President Roosevelt commuted his sentence to life in prison.[4] The Stephan story received 197 of a possible 230 points in the polling.[1]
  2. Republican election victory. In the November 3 statewide elections, Republicans won sweeping victories. In the U.S. Senate race, Republican Homer S. Ferguson narrowly defeated Democratic incumbent Prentiss M. Brown by a margin of 28,057 votes out of 1,189,966 votes cast. In the gubernatorial race, Republican Harry Kelly defeated Democratic incumbent Murray Van Wagoner. (183-1/2 points)
  3. Saginaw Bay boat rescue. A 30-foot fishing boat capsized on August 2 in Saginaw Bay. After all aboard were presumed lost, several of its occupants were rescued. (112 points)
  4. Train-bus collision. On October 28, a passenger train collided with a DSR bus, cutting the bus in half at the middle doors, at a grade crossing in western Hamtramck where the Grand Trunk tracks meet Caniff. The over-crowded bus carried 45 persons, of whom 16 were killed and 27 others injured.[5] (111 points)
  5. FDR visit. On September 18, President Franklin Roosevelt visited Detroit war plants, including Ford's Willow Run bomber plant in Ypsilanti and the Chrysler Tank Arsenal in Warren.[6] (107 points)
  6. Record industrial output. On December 26, the Detroit Board of Commerce reported that the city's industrial output of wartime materials and civilian goods had set a new record in 1942. The 1942 output was approximately $4 billion, nearly double the prior record of $2.1 billion set in 1937. The city also added 150,000 workers to its factory payrolls in 1942 and saw the average work week grow by 27% over the prior record year.[7] (95 points)
  7. "Home front" activities - The state's "home front" activities, including gasoline and oil rationing, civil defense, and blackouts. (62 points)
  8. Oakland County murder spree. Dominic Piccone, a 21-year-old man who had been recently released from prison, killed three farmers in Concord and Oxford, Michigan, and abducted a fourth man during a 24-hour crime spree on April 1.[8] One day later, Piccone was captured, confessed, and was sentenced to life in prison.[9] (42 points)
  9. Sojourner Truth integration - The Sojourner Truth housing project was built for African-American families in a white Polish neighborhood in Detroit. On February 28, a crowd of 1,200 whites organized to bar black families, leading to a clash between white and black groups.[10] More than 1,100 police officers and 1,600 Michigan National Guard troops were mobilized and deployed to guard the six African-American families who moved into the housing project. Eventually, 168 black families moved into the homes.[11] The police arrested 220 people, and 40 people were injured in the conflict.[12] (41-1/2 points)
  10. Dodge death mystery. On August 13, 1942, 43-year-old John Duval Dodge, playboy son of automotive pioneer John Francis Dodge, died from a 10-inch skull fracture after a quarrel with his wife and a violent scuffle with police.[13][14][15] The death was ultimately ruled to have been accidental.[16] (40 points)

Other stories receiving points included:

  • A July ban on NBC radio's broadcasts of weekly concerts Interlochen national high school band after a protest by AFL Musicians Union leader, Jimmy Petrillo, that the student musicians were not members of the union.[17][18] (37-1/2 points)
  • Dismissal of fraud charges against Frank D. McKay (34 points)
  • The August 14 crash of an Army B-24 heavy bomber at a farm in Baltimore Township, 15 miles north of Battle Creek, killing the crew of four officers and five enlisted men.[19] (28 points)
  • A July picket by 3,000 CIO union automobile workers shut down the Pontiac motor division of General Motors in order to organize a mass picketing of Oakland county food stores in a jurisdictional dispute between the CIO and AFL. The action halted war production in the Pontiac division.[20] (27 points)
  • Development of synthetic rubber by Michigan industry (22 points)
  • The November 14 victory of the Michigan football team (ranked No. 6) over Notre Dame (ranked No. 4) by a 32–20 score. The Wolverines rushed for 319 yards and scored five touchdowns. Michigan's 32 points were the most allowed by a Notre Dame team since Army scored 36 points in 1916.[21] (20 points)
  • "Pontiac's car-pooling plan spreads" (16 points)
  • Great Lakes freighters haul record tonnage (14 points)
  • The War Labor Board, established by President Roosevelt's executive order in January 1942, settled wage disputes between unions and automobile companies. (11 points)
  • On November 28, the Detroit Tigers hired Steve O'Neill as the team's manager, replacing Del Baker.[22] (10 points)

Office holders

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State office holders

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Gov. Murray Van Wagoner

Mayors of major cities

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Sen. Prentiss M. Brown
Sen. Arthur Vandenberg

Federal office holders

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Population

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In the 1940 United States census, Michigan was recorded as having a population of 5,256,106, ranking as the seventh most populous state in the country. By 1950, Michigan's population had increased by 21.2% to 6,371,766.

Cities

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The following is a list of cities in Michigan with a population of at least 20,000 based on 1940 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1930 and 1950 is included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases. Cities that are part of the Detroit metropolitan area are shaded in tan.

1940
Rank 		City County 1940 Pop. 1946 Est. 1950 Pop. Change 1940-50
1 Detroit Wayne 1,623,452 1,815,000[23] 1,849,568 13.9%
2 Grand Rapids Kent 164,292 176,515 7.4%
3 Flint Genesee 151,543 163,143 7.7%
4 Saginaw Saginaw 82,794 92,918 12.2%
5 Lansing Ingham 78,753 90,000[24] 92,129 17.0%
6 Pontiac Oakland 66,626 73,681 10.6%
7 Dearborn Wayne 63,589 94,994 49.4%
8 Kalamazoo Kalamazoo 54,097 57,704 6.7%
9 Highland Park Wayne 50,810 46,393 −8.7%
10 Hamtramck Wayne 49,839 48,938[25] 43,555 −12.6%
11 Jackson Jackson 49,656 51,088 2.9%
12 Bay City Bay 47,956 52,523 9.5%
13 Muskegon Muskegon 47,697 48,429 1.5%
14 Battle Creek Calhoun 43,453 48,666 12.0%
15 Port Huron St. Clair 32,759 35,725 9.1%
16 Wyandotte Wayne 30,618 36,846 20.3%
17 Ann Arbor Washtenaw 29,815 48,251 61.8%
18 Royal Oak Oakland 25,087 46,898 86.9%
19 Ferndale Oakland 22,523 29,675 31.8%

Counties

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The following is a list of counties in Michigan with populations of at least 75,000 based on 1940 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1930 and 1950 are included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases.

1940
Rank 		County Largest city 1930 Pop. 1940 Pop. 1950 Pop. Change 1940-50
1 Wayne Detroit 1,888,946 2,015,623 2,435,235 20.8%
2 Oakland Pontiac 211,251 254,068 396,001 55.9%
3 Kent Grand Rapids 240,511 246,338 288,292 17.0%
4 Genesee Flint 211,641 227,944 270,963 18.9%
5 Ingham Lansing 116,587 130,616 172,941 32.4%
6 Saginaw Saginaw 120,717 130,468 153,515 17.7%
7 Macomb Warren 77,146 107,638 184,961 71.8%
8 Kalamazoo Kalamazoo 91,368 100,085 126,707 26.6%
9 Jackson Jackson 92,304 93,108 108,168 16.2%
10 Muskegon Muskegon 84,630 94,501 121,545 28.6%
11 Calhoun Battle Creek 87,043 94,206 120,813 28.2%

Companies

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The following is a list of major companies based in Michigan in 1942.

Company 1942 sales (millions) 1942 net income (millions) Headquarters Core business
General Motors Detroit Automobiles
Ford Motor Company na na[26] Automobiles
Chrysler Automobiles
Briggs Mfg. Co. Detroit Automobile parts supplier
S. S. Kresge Retail
Hudson Motor Car Co. Detroit Automobiles
Detroit Edison Electric utility
Michigan Bell Telephone utility
Kellogg's Battle Creek Breakfast cereal
Parke-Davis Detroit Pharmaceutical
REO Motor Car Co. Lansing Automobiles
Graham-Paige Automobiles
Burroughs Adding Machine Business machines

Sports

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Rudy York

Baseball

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American football

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Julius Franks

Basketball

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Ice hockey

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Other

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Chronology of events

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Main article: 1942 in the United States

Births

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Deaths

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Treason Trial Michigan's Top News Story of '42". The Herald-Press. December 31, 1942. p. IV-6 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Max Stephan Found Guilty as a Traitor". Detroit Free Press. July 3, 1942. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Stephan in Death Cell; Boasts 'I Won't Hang'". Detroit Free Press. August 7, 1942. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Stephan Saved By FDR". Detroit Free Press. July 2, 1943. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Probe Begun in DSR Bus-Train Crash Fatal to 16". Detroit Free Press. October 29, 1942. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Roosevelt Cheered on Detroit Stop". Detroit Free Press. October 2, 1942. pp. 1, 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Detroit's War Output Dwarfs 1937". Detroit Free Press. December 27, 1942. p. II-8 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Hunt Mad Killer Near City; 3 Farmers Slain , 1 Missing". Detroit Free Press. April 2, 1942. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Slayer of 3 Sent Back to Cell for Life". Detroit Free Press. April 3, 1942. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "The 1943 Race Riots", Detroit News, February 10, 1999
  11. ^ Sojourner Truth Housing Proj
  12. ^ Dominic J. Capeci, Jr., and Martha Wilkerson, "The Detroit Rioters of 1943: A Reinterpretation", Michigan Historical Review, Jan 1990, Vol. 16 Issue 1, pp. 49-72.
  13. ^ "John Dodge Dead; Mystery Deepens; Autopsy Ordered". Detroit Free Press. August 14, 1942. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Hunt Dodge Murder Clews". Detroit Free Press. August 15, 1942. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "How Dodge Suffered Fatal Skull Fracture in Police Station! Hurled Self from Arms of Officer". Detroit Free Press. August 23, 1942. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Dodge Death Is Declared Accidental". Detroit Free Press. August 28, 1942. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Werrenrath Will Probe Music Ban". Detroit Free Press. July 17, 1942. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "My Boys Gotta Eat, Says Petrillo, Explaining All Those Sour Notes". Detroit Free Press. August 30, 1942 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Salvage Crew To Work Today At Wreck Scene". The Battle Creek Enquirer and News. August 16, 1942. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Workers Quit, Plant Is Idle". The Lansing State Journal. July 31, 1942. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Wolverines' Five Touchdowns Beat Irish, 32 to 20". Detroit Free Press. November 15, 1942. p. Sports 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "O'Neill Replaces Baker as Manager of Tigers". Detroit Tigers. November 29, 1942. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "L.A. Gives the Count to Detroit". Detroit Free Press. July 28, 1946. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "City Needs 7,000 Homes". Lansing State Journal. March 10, 1946. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Unusual Statistics Of State Revealed". Lansing State Journal. January 25, 1946. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ Ford was a privately held company until 1956. Accordingly, its financial results for 1942 were not made public.
  27. ^ "1942 Detroit Tigers Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  28. ^ "2012 University of Michigan Baseball Record Book" (PDF). University of Michigan. 2012. pp. 22, 70. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  29. ^ 2012 Record Book, p. 13.
  30. ^ "1942 Detroit Lions Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  31. ^ "1942 Football Team". Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  32. ^ "1942 Michigan State Spartans Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  33. ^ "Central Michigan 2015 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Central Michigan University. 2015. pp. 100, 109. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  34. ^ "2015 Eastern Michigan Football Digital Media Guide" (PDF). Eastern Michigan University Football. pp. 162, 170. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  35. ^ "Football Records: Annual Results". Western Michigan University. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  36. ^ "University of Michigan Basketball Record Book" (PDF). University of Michigan. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-10-26. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
  37. ^ "Michigan State Spartans School History". SR College Basketball. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  38. ^ "Western Michigan Broncos School History". SR College Basketball. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  39. ^ "Detroit Mercy Titans School History". SR College Basketball. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  40. ^ "1941-42 Detroit Red Wings Roster and Statistics". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  41. ^ "Michigan Team History". College Hockey News. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  42. ^ "Michigan Tech Team History". College Hockey News. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
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