James J. Couzens
Encyclopedia
James J. Couzens was a U.S. Senator from the state
of Michigan
, the Mayor
of Detroit
, an industrialist, and philanthropist
.
, Canada
in 1872, the son of soapmaker James and Emma Clift Couzens. He attended the public schools of Chatham and spent time at a business college. He moved to Detroit, Michigan
in 1890 and worked as a railroad car checker for the New York Central Railroad
from 1890 to 1897. Couzen's diligence at the railroad was noticed by Alexander Y. Malcomson
, who hired the young man as a clerk in his coal business. Couzens worked for Malcomson from 1897 to 1903.
In 1898, Couzens married Margaret Manning. The couple had six children: a son born in 1899 who died in infancy; Homer Couzens, born in 1900; Frank Couzens
(later mayor of Detroit), born in 1902; Madeline, born in 1904; Margo, born in 1910, and Edith, born in 1911.
was organizing the Ford Motor Company
; Alexander Malcomson was a major stakeholder in the company. The two were seeking additional stockholders; Couzens borrowed heavily and invested $2500 in the new firm. Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903 with John S. Gray
as president, Ford as vice-president, Malcomson as treasurer, and Couzens as secretary. Couzens took over the business management of the new firm for a salary of $2400. In 1906, Gray died and Malcomson was eased out of the business, and Couzens became vice president and general manager of the company. The company made both Ford and Couzens wealthy, due in no small part to Couzens's business acumen. However, the two men gradually grew apart, and in 1915 Couzens resigned his position as general manager, although he retained a seat on the board. In 1919, Ford purchased Couzens's shares in the company for $30,000,000.
to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Truman H. Newberry. This appointment was confirmed by his election on November 4, 1924, at which time he was also elected to a full term commencing March 4, 1925. He was reelected in 1930, serving in total from November 29, 1922, until his death on October 22, 1936. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1936, the loss generally attributed to Couzens support for Roosevelt's New Deal
programs. He was chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Civil Service in the Sixty-ninth Congress, the U.S. Senate Committee on Education and Labor in the Sixty-ninth and Seventieth Congresses, the U.S. Senate Committee on Interstate Commerce in the Seventy-first and Seventy-second Congresses. Couzens' actions in Congress generally followed those of the Progressive Republicans, advocating acts such as high graduated income tax
and public ownership of utilities.
Couzens died in Detroit and is interred in Woodlawn Cemetery there.
In response to the Bath School Disaster
, in which Andrew Kehoe
, an embittered school board member and treasurer, planted dynamite in the basement of a school in Bath Township, Michigan
, Couzens gave $75,000 to fund rebuilding, and the new school was dedicated as the "James Couzens Agricultural School". He donated $600,000 to the University of Michigan
for the building of a residence hall for female nursing students; it was named Couzens Hall in his honor.
in the 1930s, Couzens donated $1 million to Children's Hospital of Michigan, in response to a birthday request from his wife for "a simple box in which to keep my pearls." Couzens complied, including a note within the box describing the $1 million gift, stating "My dear, your new pearls will be all the children who are eventually treated there." Today, Children's Hospital of Michigan is part of the Detroit Medical Center
.
Disturbed by the failures of low-incoming housing projects that came out of the depression, he believed in another way. He contributed $550,000 of his own personal money to the $300,000 from
Oakland Housing to create a managed low-income housing project called Westacres, in West Bloomfield, Michigan. The project gave the low income factory working man a chance to own a home. The
homes were located on 1 acre of land and the owners were required to farm the land to provide food for their families when seasonal layoffs took place. The neighborhood became so much more, a community of caring for one another and traditions is still going strong nearly 75 years later. Westacres likes to say that it is one of the most successful government projects. More to come.
: "Pronounced exactly as cousins."
The middle section of the Lodge Freeway in Detroit, Michigan
was originally named for him. After the entire freeway was renamed to The Lodge, only the service drive retains the Couzens name.
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"....
, the Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Detroit
Detroit, 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...
, an industrialist, and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
.
Early life and career
Couzens was born in Chatham, OntarioChatham, Ontario
Chatham is the largest community in the municipality of Chatham-Kent, Ontario. Formerly serving as the seat of Kent County, the governments of the former city of Chatham, the county of Kent, and its townships were merged into one entity known as the Municipality of Chatham-Kent in 1998.Located on...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1872, the son of soapmaker James and Emma Clift Couzens. He attended the public schools of Chatham and spent time at a business college. He moved to Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, 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...
in 1890 and worked as a railroad car checker for the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
from 1890 to 1897. Couzen's diligence at the railroad was noticed by Alexander Y. Malcomson
Alexander Y. Malcomson
Alexander Y. Malcomson was a coal dealer from Detroit, Michigan who bankrolled Henry Ford's first successful foray into automobile manufacturing: the Ford Motor Company.- Early life :...
, who hired the young man as a clerk in his coal business. Couzens worked for Malcomson from 1897 to 1903.
In 1898, Couzens married Margaret Manning. The couple had six children: a son born in 1899 who died in infancy; Homer Couzens, born in 1900; Frank Couzens
Frank Couzens
Frank Couzens was the son of United States Senator James J. Couzens, and mayor of Detroit, Michigan during the 1930s.-Early life:...
(later mayor of Detroit), born in 1902; Madeline, born in 1904; Margo, born in 1910, and Edith, born in 1911.
Association with Henry Ford
In 1902, Henry FordHenry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
was organizing the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
; Alexander Malcomson was a major stakeholder in the company. The two were seeking additional stockholders; Couzens borrowed heavily and invested $2500 in the new firm. Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903 with John S. Gray
John S. Gray
John S. Gray was a Republican politician from Idaho. He served as the 2nd Lieutenant Governor of Idaho. As President Pro-Tempore, Gray filled in as Lieutenant Governor upon N. B. Willey's resignation in 1890.-References:...
as president, Ford as vice-president, Malcomson as treasurer, and Couzens as secretary. Couzens took over the business management of the new firm for a salary of $2400. In 1906, Gray died and Malcomson was eased out of the business, and Couzens became vice president and general manager of the company. The company made both Ford and Couzens wealthy, due in no small part to Couzens's business acumen. However, the two men gradually grew apart, and in 1915 Couzens resigned his position as general manager, although he retained a seat on the board. In 1919, Ford purchased Couzens's shares in the company for $30,000,000.
Detroit work and political career
James Couzens was president of the Bank of Detroit and director of the Detroit Trust Company. He was commissioner of street railways 1913-1915 and commissioner of the metropolitan police department 1916-1918. He was mayor of Detroit 1919-1922. As mayor, Couzens installed municipal street railways.Senatorial career
Couzens was appointed November 29, 1922, as a Republican to the United States SenateUnited 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 resignation of Truman H. Newberry. This appointment was confirmed by his election on November 4, 1924, at which time he was also elected to a full term commencing March 4, 1925. He was reelected in 1930, serving in total from November 29, 1922, until his death on October 22, 1936. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1936, the loss generally attributed to Couzens support for Roosevelt's New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
programs. He was chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Civil Service in the Sixty-ninth Congress, the U.S. Senate Committee on Education and Labor in the Sixty-ninth and Seventieth Congresses, the U.S. Senate Committee on Interstate Commerce in the Seventy-first and Seventy-second Congresses. Couzens' actions in Congress generally followed those of the Progressive Republicans, advocating acts such as high graduated income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
and public ownership of utilities.
Couzens died in Detroit and is interred in Woodlawn Cemetery there.
Philanthrophy
Couzens established the Children's Fund of Michigan with a $10,000,000 grant. He also gave $1,000,000 for relief in Detroit and began a fund to make loans to the physically handicapped. Under Dr Frank Norton and Dr Kenneth Richard Gibson and their secretary, Kathryn Hutchison, the Children's Fund, among other things, provided free health and dental work for indigent Detroit children. The Fund was set up with a 25 year life span, and the project ended in the mid-1950s.In response to the Bath School Disaster
Bath School disaster
The Bath School disaster is the name given to three bombings in Bath Township, Michigan, on May 18, 1927, which killed 38 elementary school children, two teachers, four other adults and the bomber himself; at least 58 people were injured. Most of the victims were children in the second to sixth...
, in which Andrew Kehoe
Andrew Kehoe
Andrew Philip Kehoe was an American suicide bomber and murderer who perpetrated the Bath School Disaster on May 18, 1927.- Early life :...
, an embittered school board member and treasurer, planted dynamite in the basement of a school in Bath Township, Michigan
Bath Township, Michigan
Bath Charter Township is a charter township of Clinton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the township population was 11,598, an increase from 7,541 in 2000...
, Couzens gave $75,000 to fund rebuilding, and the new school was dedicated as the "James Couzens Agricultural School". He donated $600,000 to the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
for the building of a residence hall for female nursing students; it was named Couzens Hall in his honor.
in the 1930s, Couzens donated $1 million to Children's Hospital of Michigan, in response to a birthday request from his wife for "a simple box in which to keep my pearls." Couzens complied, including a note within the box describing the $1 million gift, stating "My dear, your new pearls will be all the children who are eventually treated there." Today, Children's Hospital of Michigan is part of the Detroit Medical Center
Detroit Medical Center
The Detroit Medical Center, located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, has more than 2,000 licensed beds, 3,000 affiliated physicians and over 12,000 employees. The DMC is the affiliated clinical research site for medical program at Wayne State University...
.
Disturbed by the failures of low-incoming housing projects that came out of the depression, he believed in another way. He contributed $550,000 of his own personal money to the $300,000 from
Oakland Housing to create a managed low-income housing project called Westacres, in West Bloomfield, Michigan. The project gave the low income factory working man a chance to own a home. The
homes were located on 1 acre of land and the owners were required to farm the land to provide food for their families when seasonal layoffs took place. The neighborhood became so much more, a community of caring for one another and traditions is still going strong nearly 75 years later. Westacres likes to say that it is one of the most successful government projects. More to come.
Miscellaneous
Asked how to say his name, he told The Literary DigestLiterary Digest
The Literary Digest was an influential general interest weekly magazine published by Funk & Wagnalls. Founded by Isaac Kaufmann Funk in 1890, it eventually merged with two similar weekly magazines, Public Opinion and Current Opinion.-History:...
: "Pronounced exactly as cousins."
The middle section of the Lodge Freeway in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, 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...
was originally named for him. After the entire freeway was renamed to The Lodge, only the service drive retains the Couzens name.