1949 in Michigan

1949 in Michigan
History of Michigan
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License plate

Events from the year 1949 in Michigan.

Top stories

The Associated Press polled editors of its member newspapers in Michigan and ranked the state's top news stories of 1949 as follows:[1]

  1. The March 1 "lonely hearts" murders of a widow and her three-year-old granddaughter in Grand Rapids. The killers were Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez. (274 points)
  2. The shooting UAW leader Victor G. Reuther (224 points)
  3. A historic contract between the UAW and Ford Motor granting pensions to workers (175 points)
  4. The speed-up strike against Ford that began in May and lasted 26 days (169 points)
  5. The July 19 death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice and former Michigan Governor Frank Murphy (129 points)
  6. Record production by the automobile industry and shutdowns resulting from the steelworkers strike (115)
  7. The March 31 death of Willard Dow, president of Dow Chemical, and his wife and three others in a plane crash (98)
  8. Farmer in Waterford shoots 10 people with a shotgun (88)
  9. The "social reform" program of Governor G. Mennen Williams and political battles to institute it (87)
  10. The end of Michigan's one-man grand juries (86)

Office holders

State office holders
Gov. G. Mennen Williams

Mayors of major cities

Federal office holders

Population

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

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 1930 Pop. 1940 Pop. 1950 Pop. Change 1940-50
1DetroitWayne1,568,6621,623,4521,849,56813.9%
2Grand RapidsKent168,592164,292176,5157.4%
3FlintGenesee156,492151,543163,1437.7%
4SaginawSaginaw80,71582,79492,91812.2%
5LansingIngham78,39778,75392,12917.0%
6PontiacOakland64,92866,62673,68110.6%
7DearbornWayne50,35863,58994,99449.4%
8KalamazooKalamazoo54,78654,09757,7046.7%
9Highland ParkWayne52,95950,81046,393−8.7%
10HamtramckWayne56,26849,83943,555−12.6%
11JacksonJackson55,18749,65651,0882.9%
12Bay CityBay47,35547,95652,5239.5%
13MuskegonMuskegon41,39047,69748,4291.5%
14Battle CreekCalhoun45,57343,45348,66612.0%
15Port HuronSt. Clair31,36132,75935,7259.1%
16WyandotteWayne28,36830,61836,84620.3%
17Ann ArborWashtenaw26,94429,81548,25161.8%
18Royal OakOakland22,90425,08746,89886.9%
19FerndaleOakland20,85522,52329,67531.8%

Counties

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
1WayneDetroit1,888,9462,015,6232,435,23520.8%
2OaklandPontiac211,251254,068396,00155.9%
3KentGrand Rapids240,511246,338288,29217.0%
4GeneseeFlint211,641227,944270,96318.9%
5InghamLansing116,587130,616172,94132.4%
6SaginawSaginaw120,717130,468153,51517.7%
7MacombWarren77,146107,638184,96171.8%
8KalamazooKalamazoo91,368100,085126,70726.6%
9JacksonJackson92,30493,108108,16816.2%
10MuskegonMuskegon84,63094,501121,54528.6%
11CalhounBattle Creek87,04394,206120,81328.2%

Companies

The following is a list of major companies based in Michigan in 1949.

Company 1949 sales (millions) 1949 net earnings (millions) Headquarters Core business
General MotorsDetroitAutomobiles
Ford Motor Companynana[2]Automobiles
ChryslerAutomobiles
Studebaker Corp.Automobiles
Briggs Mfg. Co.DetroitAutomobile parts supplier
S. S. KresgeRetail
Hudson Motor Car Co.DetroitAutomobiles
Detroit EdisonElectric utility
Michigan BellTelephone utility
Kellogg'sBattle CreekBreakfast cereal
Parke-DavisDetroitPharmaceutical
REO Motor Car Co.LansingAutomobiles
Burroughs Adding MachineBusiness machines

Sports

Baseball

American football

Basketball

Ice hockey

Boat racing

Golfing

Births

Deaths
  • April 11 - Chase Osborn, 27th Governor of Michigan (1911-1913), at age 89 in Poulan, Georgia
  • June 16 - William Comstock, 33rd Governor of Michigan (1933-1935), at age 71 in Detroit
  • July 19 - Frank Murphy, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (1940-1949), 35th Governor of Michigan (1937-1939), at age 59 in Detroit

See also

References
  1. "Pick 10 Best 1949 Stories". The Herald-Press. December 31, 1949. pp. IV-1, IV-2 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Ford was a privately held company until 1956. Accordingly, its financial results for 1949 were not made public.
  3. "1949 Detroit Tigers Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  4. "2012 University of Michigan Baseball Record Book" (PDF). University of Michigan. 2012. pp. 22, 71. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  5. 2012 Record Book, p. 13.
  6. "1949 Detroit Lions Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  7. "1949 Football Team". Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  8. "1949 Michigan State Spartans Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  9. "1949 Detroit Mercy Titans Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  10. "University of Michigan Basketball Record Book" (PDF). University of Michigan. p. 29.
  11. "1948-49 Detroit Red Wings Roster and Statistics". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
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