Michigan
Gov. David Howell Jerome
- January 1, 1881 - January 1, 1883
- Republican
- November 17, 1829
- April 23, 1869
- Michigan
- Married Lucy Peck; one child
- Michigan Infantry
About
DAVID H. JEROME, the eighteenth governor of Michigan, was born in Detroit, Michigan on November 17, 1829. His education was attained at the St. Clair Academy. In 1862, he served as colonel of the 23rd Michigan Infantry. He also served as Governor Crapo’s military aide from 1865 to 1866, and was a member of the State Military Board from 1865 to 1873. Jerome entered politics in 1862, serving as a member of the Michigan State Senate, a position he held until 1838. He also served on the 1873 committee that amended the state constitution, as well as serving on the U.S. Board of Indian Commissioners from 1876 to 1881. Jerome next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and went on to win election to the governorship on November 2, 1880. During his tenure, an immigration commissioner was named; the Travers City State Hospital for the Insane was founded; the state’s railroad system was advanced; and the Michigan School for the Blind was established in Lansing. After running unsuccessfully for reelection, Jerome left office on January 1, 1883. Six years later, he was appointed and served on the Cherokee commission, which attained land from the Indians to form the Oklahoma Territory. Governor David H. Jerome passed away on April 23, 1896.
Source
Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 2, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.
