Kim Sigler
| Kim Sigler | |
|---|---|
| 40th Governor of Michigan | |
| In office January 1, 1947 – January 1, 1949 |
|
| Lieutenant | Eugene C. Keyes |
| Preceded by | Harry Kelly |
| Succeeded by | G. Mennen Williams |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kimber Cornellus Sigler May 2, 1894 Schuyler, Nebraska |
| Died | November 30, 1953 (aged 59) Augusta, Michigan |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Mae L. Pierson |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Religion | Methodist |
Kimber Cornellus Sigler, commonly known as Kim Sigler (May 2, 1894 – November 30, 1953), was an American politician. He served as the 40th Governor of Michigan from 1947 to 1949.
Early life
Sigler was born in Schuyler, Nebraska and was educated at the University of Michigan, and later at the Detroit Law School where, in 1918, he received a law degree. Sigler established a successful legal career in various firms in Detroit, Hastings and Battle Creek, Michigan. He was also the special prosecutor in the grand jury investigation of corruption in the state legislature. He married Mae L. Pierson and they had one child together.[clarification needed]
Politics
In 1928, Sigler was the Democratic candidate for Michigan Attorney General, yet was unsuccessful losing to Republican Wilber Marion Brucker, who was elected Governor of Michigan two years later. Sigler would later switch to the Republican Party. In 1942, he was a candidate in the Republican primary from the 8th District for a seat in the state senate. He was also a member of Rotary International.
On November 5, 1946, Sigler, nicknamed Hollywood Kim, was elected Governor of Michigan, defeating former governor Murray Van Wagoner in the general election. During his two years in office, state agencies were reorganized and the department of administration was created. In 1947, he received his Private Pilot License.
In 1948, he served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention, which re-nominated Thomas Dewey as their candidate for U.S. President to defeat President Harry S Truman, yet Dewey was again unsuccessful as he was against Franklin Roosevelt four years earlier. Dewey carried Michigan, but Sigler was unsuccessful that year, as he was defeated for re-election for governor by Democrat Soapy Williams. After running unsuccessfully for re-election, Sigler left office on January 1, 1949, and retired from political life.
Retirement and death
Nearly five years after leaving office at the age of fifty-nine, Sigler and three passengers were killed when the plane he was piloting on a foggy night, collided with a television broadcast tower (WBCK-TV) near Augusta, Michigan. He was interred at Riverside Cemetery of Hastings, Michigan.
External links
- National Governors Association
- Political Graveyard
- Aviation article references Sigler getting his pilot certificate
- Find A Grave Memorial
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Governor of Michigan 1947 – 1949 |
Succeeded by G. Mennen Williams |
- Use mdy dates from October 2011
- Wikipedia articles needing clarification from March 2010
- 1894 births
- 1953 deaths
- Governors of Michigan
- Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States
- American Methodists
- Accidental deaths in Michigan
- Michigan Republicans
- University of Michigan alumni
- University of Detroit Mercy alumni
- People from Colfax County, Nebraska
- Michigan Democrats
- Republican Party state governors of the United States
