Henry P. Baldwin
Encyclopedia
Henry Porter Baldwin a descendant of pilgrim father Nathaniel Baldwin, was the 15th Governor of Michigan
and U.S. Senator from the state
of Michigan
.
and attended the common schools. He worked as a store clerk in Pawtucket
from age 12 to age 20, after which he engaged in his own business for several years in Woonsocket
. In 1835, he married Harriet M. Day (deceased 1862). He married his second wife, Sibyle Lambard, in 1864, who survived him.
, where he established a wholesale business in boots and shoes in 1838. He was a member of the convention which organized the U.S. Republican Party in Jackson, Michigan
in 1854. He was influential in organizing the sixth Episcopal parish in the northern outskirts of Detroit on December 27, 1858, and in building St. John's Episcopal Church for the parish. Baldwin donated the church lot and underwrote the entire cost of building a chapel to seat 125 persons (completed November 1859) and a rectory. He also contributed in large part to the building of the larger 1300 seat sanctuary, completed in 1861. He was the Senior Warden from the parish's founding until his death.
He was director of the Michigan State Bank and president of the Second National Bank of Detroit, 1863-1887. For several years, he was also the director of the Eastern Asylum in Pontiac
. He was a member of the Michigan State Senate, 2nd District, 1861-1862. He married his second wife, Sibyle Lambard, on November 21, 1866.
In 1868, Baldwin was elected Governor of Michigan
, serving from 1869 to 1873. In 1870, the woman suffrage amendment was passed by the Michigan Legislature, but was vetoed by Baldwin. Four years later, he was appointed and subsequently elected as a Republican
to the United States Senate
to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Zachariah Chandler
, serving from November 17, 1879 to March 4, 1881 alongside Thomas W. Ferry
. He became Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party
from 1880 to 1882.
.
Governor of Michigan
The Governor of Michigan is the chief executive of the U.S. State of Michigan. The current Governor is Rick Snyder, a member of the Republican Party.-Gubernatorial elections and term of office:...
and U.S. Senator from the state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Early life in Rhode Island
Baldwin was born to John and Margaret (Williams) Baldwin in Coventry, Rhode IslandCoventry, Rhode Island
Coventry is a town in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 35,014 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of . of it is land and of it is water...
and attended the common schools. He worked as a store clerk in Pawtucket
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 71,148 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth largest city in the state.-History:...
from age 12 to age 20, after which he engaged in his own business for several years in Woonsocket
Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Woonsocket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 41,186 at the 2010 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Woonsocket lies directly south of the Massachusetts border....
. In 1835, he married Harriet M. Day (deceased 1862). He married his second wife, Sibyle Lambard, in 1864, who survived him.
Life and politics in Michigan
Baldwin moved to Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, where he established a wholesale business in boots and shoes in 1838. He was a member of the convention which organized the U.S. Republican Party in Jackson, Michigan
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor and south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534...
in 1854. He was influential in organizing the sixth Episcopal parish in the northern outskirts of Detroit on December 27, 1858, and in building St. John's Episcopal Church for the parish. Baldwin donated the church lot and underwrote the entire cost of building a chapel to seat 125 persons (completed November 1859) and a rectory. He also contributed in large part to the building of the larger 1300 seat sanctuary, completed in 1861. He was the Senior Warden from the parish's founding until his death.
He was director of the Michigan State Bank and president of the Second National Bank of Detroit, 1863-1887. For several years, he was also the director of the Eastern Asylum in Pontiac
Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County...
. He was a member of the Michigan State Senate, 2nd District, 1861-1862. He married his second wife, Sibyle Lambard, on November 21, 1866.
In 1868, Baldwin was elected Governor of Michigan
Governor of Michigan
The Governor of Michigan is the chief executive of the U.S. State of Michigan. The current Governor is Rick Snyder, a member of the Republican Party.-Gubernatorial elections and term of office:...
, serving from 1869 to 1873. In 1870, the woman suffrage amendment was passed by the Michigan Legislature, but was vetoed by Baldwin. Four years later, he was appointed and subsequently elected as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Zachariah Chandler
Zachariah Chandler
Zachariah Chandler was Mayor of Detroit , a four-term U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan , and Secretary of the Interior under U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant .-Family:...
, serving from November 17, 1879 to March 4, 1881 alongside Thomas W. Ferry
Thomas W. Ferry
Thomas White Ferry was a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan.Ferry was born in the old Mission House on Mackinac Island. The community on Mackinac at that time included the military garrison, the main depot of John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company, and the mission....
. He became Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party
Michigan Republican Party
The Michigan Republican Party is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party in Michigan. It is sometimes referred to as MIGOP, which simply means Michigan Grand Old Party....
from 1880 to 1882.
Retirement and death
Baldwin was not a candidate for reelection to the Senate and resumed his former business pursuits, serving as president of the Detroit National Bank, 1883-1887. He died in Detroit and is interred in Elmwood CemeteryElmwood Cemetery (Detroit, Michigan)
Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit is one of Michigan's most important historic cemeteries. Located at 1200 Elmwood Street in Detroit's Eastside Historic Cemetery District, Elmwood is the oldest continuously operating, non-denominational cemetery in Michigan...
.