Andrew Mack (1780 – July 12, 1854[1][N 1]) was an American businessman and politician who, among other things, co-founded the Detroit Free Press, served as mayor of Detroit, Michigan, and whose land holdings became a portion of the town of Marysville.
Andrew Mack | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 11th Mayor of Detroit, second charter | |
| In office 1834–1834 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Christopher Trowbridge |
| Succeeded by | Levi Cook |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 9, 1780 New London, Connecticut |
| Died | July 12, 1854 St. Clair County, Michigan |
Early life
editMack was born in New London, Connecticut, and was a sailor as a young man, having sailed around the world three times.[4] In 1804,[N 2] he drove a herd of merino sheep that he had purchased in Spain westward to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he established a wool factory[3] and a hotel. In the War of 1812, he was the captain of a military company[4] and subsequently served as member of the Cincinnati City Council[5]: 534 and as a state senator in the Ohio General Assembly.[6] He ran for Mayor of Cincinnati in the spring of 1829, but lost to the incumbent Isaac G. Burnet.[5]: 584
Detroit
editPresident Andrew Jackson appointed him to become customs collector for Detroit in 1829,[7] a post he held for ten years. Upon his arrival in the Michigan Territory, he became involved with the local militia and gained the appellation "Colonel".[4] In 1831, Sheldon McKnight established the Democratic Free Press and Michigan Intelligencer (it eventually was renamed to the Detroit Free Press in 1866) and less than a year later, the newspaper was purchased by a consortium of citizens, one of whom was Mack. That group owned the business until 1837.[8]
Mayor Charles Christopher Trowbridge was elected in early 1834 during a cholera epidemic, but abruptly resigned. Mack won the ensuing special election on September 24 with 91 votes. In the general election the following year, Mack ran for re-election, but lost. He tried again in 1837, but also was unsuccessful.[9] In 1839, he represented Wayne County in the state legislature.[10] It is sometimes believed that Mack Avenue in Detroit is named after Andrew Mack, but that was actually named after John M. Mack, who was a supervisor of Hamtramck.[11][12]
Marysville
editMack moved to St. Clair County in the 1840s. He purchased a sawmill, and the creek next to which it sat became known as Mack's Creek. He also set up a general store and a wood refueling station to serve the steamships sailing on the Great Lakes Waterway.[13] This stop, known as "Mack's Place", became popular enough to warrant its own post office, and Mack served as its postmaster until his death.[1] Mack and his wife Amelia were buried on his property, which is now the Marysville Golf Course. A model of Mack's home can be found at the Marysville Historical Museum in Marysville Park.[14] The house and mill were taken over by George W. Carleton and the creek subsequently became known as Carleton Creek, a name it still bears today.[1] The post office moved to nearby Vicksburg, which was renamed Marysville in 1859 to avoid confusion with Vicksburg in Kalamazoo County.[13]
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Romig, Walter (1986). Michigan Place Names. Wayne State University Press. p. 431. ISBN 0-8143-1838-X.
- ^ The government of the city of Detroit and Wayne County, Michigan: 1701 to 1907. 1907. p. 29. ISBN 9780598455529.
- ^ a b Bingham, Stephen D. (1888). Early history of Michigan. Thorp & Godfrey. p. 427.
andrew mack detroit.
- ^ a b c d Farmer, Silas (1890). History of Detroit and Wayne County and early Michigan. Vol. 2. New York: Munsell & Co. p. 1031.
- ^ a b Greve, Charles Theodore (1904). Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens. Vol. 1. Biographical Pub. Co.
- ^ Curry, Leonard P. (1997). The corporate city: the American city as a political entity, 1800-1850. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 110. ISBN 0-313-30277-4.
- ^ Bruchey, Stuart, ed. (1979). The Management of Public Lands in the U. S. Series. Ayer Publishing. p. 63. ISBN 0-405-11315-3.
- ^ Farmer, Silas (1884). The history of Detroit and Michigan. S. Farmer & Company. p. 685.
andrew mack detroit free press.
- ^ Ross, Robert B.; Catlin, George B (1898). Landmarks of Detroit: A History of the City. p. dcccxxv.
andrew mack mayor.
- ^ Silas Farmer (1889). THE HISTORY OF DETROIT AND MICHIGAN. p. 1035.
- ^ Franck, Michael S. (1996). Elmwood Endures: History of a Detroit Cemetery. Wayne State University Press. p. 198. ISBN 0-8143-2591-2.
- ^ Farmer, Silas (1890). History of Detroit and Wayne County and early Michigan. Vol. 1. p. 944. ISBN 9780722200971.
- ^ a b "History of Marysville". Marysville Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on 2010-11-03. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
- ^ "History of Marysville — Chronology". Marysville Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2011-05-02. Retrieved 2010-08-19.