Michael James Hart was a politician from the U.S. 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"....

.

Hart was born in Waterloo, Quebec

Waterloo, Quebec

Waterloo is a city in Quebec, included in La Haute-Yamaska Regional County Municipality, in the administrative area of Montérégie. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 4,054...

, 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...

. He immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1880 and settled in James Township, Michigan

James Township, Michigan

James Township is a civil township of Saginaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,930 at the 2000 census.-Communities:...

, where he attended the district schools of Jamestown and Saginaw

Saginaw, Michigan

Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...

, and a business college. He worked as a teacher in the public schools of Saginaw County

Saginaw County, Michigan

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 210,039 people, 80,430 households, and 55,818 families residing in the county. The population density was 260 people per square mile . There were 85,505 housing units at an average density of 106 per square mile...

, from 1896 to 1898 and engaged in agricultural pursuits. In 1920, he also engaged in the packing and shipping of farm products.

In 1930, Hart was an unsuccessful candidate for election from Michigan's 8th congressional district

Michigan's 8th congressional district

Michigan's 8th congressional district is a United States congressional district in Southern Michigan and Southeast Michigan. It consists of all of Clinton, Ingham, and Livingston counties, and includes the southern portion of Shiawassee and the northern portion of Oakland counties.The district was...

 to the 72nd Congress

72nd United States Congress

The Seventy-second United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1931 to March 4, 1933, during the last two years...

, losing to incumbent Republican Bird J. Vincent

Bird J. Vincent

Bird J. Vincent was a soldier and politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.-Early life:Vincent was born in Brandon Township near Clarkston, Michigan.-Education:...

. After Vincent's death on July 18, 1931, Hart was elected in November 1931 to fill the vacancy, defeating Republican Foss O. Eldred

Foss O. Eldred

Foss O. Eldred was Attorney General of Michigan in 1946 when he was appointed to fill out an unexpired term. He also held many other political offices....

 largely because Eldred wanted to continue prohibition. Hart was elected to a full term in November 1932, and served from November 3, 1931 until January 3, 1935. In November 1934, 1936, and again in 1942, Hart was defeated in the general elections by Republican Fred L. Crawford

Fred L. Crawford

Fred Lewis Crawford was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Crawford was born in Dublin, Texas and attended local public schools. He went to business college at Peniel , and attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He engaged in accountancy at Des Moines, Iowa, and Detroit,...

. In 1940, he was an unsuccessful candidate in the Democratic Party primary election for a seat in 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...

. Hart was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention

Democratic National Convention

The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...

s from Michigan in 1932

1932 Democratic National Convention

The 1932 Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois from June 27 - July 2, 1932. The convention resulted in the nomination of Governor Franklin Roosevelt of New York for President and Speaker of the House John Nance Garner of Texas for Vice-President...

 and 1944

1944 Democratic National Convention

The 1944 Democratic National Convention was held at the Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Illinois from July 19 - July 21, 1944. The convention resulted in the re-nomination of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt for an unprecedented fourth term. Senator Harry S. Truman of Missouri was nominated for...

.

After leaving Congress, Michael J. Hart returned to Saginaw and his former business activities. He was also president of a brewing company from 1935 to 1937. Hart died in Saginaw and was interred there in St. Andrews Cemetery.