Louis Miriani
63rd Mayor of Detroit, Michigan
In office
September 12, 1957 – January 2, 1962
Preceded byAlbert E. Cobo
Succeeded byJerome Cavanagh
Personal details
BornJanuary 1, 1897
Detroit, MI
DiedOctober 18, 1987(1987-10-18) (aged 90)
Pontiac, Michigan
Political partyRepublican
SpouseVera M. Miriani
ChildrenDolores Jean Deziel
Carol Abigail Miriani
Alma materUniversity of Detroit
ProfessionLawyer, Politician

Louis C. Miriani (January 1, 1897 – October 18, 1987) was an American politician who served as mayor of Detroit, Michigan (1957–62). He was the last Republican mayor of Detroit. Historian Thomas Sugrue identifies him as a leading Representative of "crabgrass-roots politics," referring to the white ethnic reaction against liberalism in the urban North.[1]

Biography

Miriani, graduated from the University of Detroit Law School.[2] He was chief counsel and later director of the Detroit Legal Aid Bureau.[2] He was elected to the Detroit City Council in 1947, and was council president from 1949–1957.[3] He became Mayor in 1957 after the death of Albert Cobo,[4] and was elected in his own right shortly afterward by a 6:1 margin over his opponent.[5] Miriani was best known for completing many of the large-scale urban renewal projects initiated by the Cobo administration, and largely financed by federal money. Miriani also took strong measures to overcome the growing crime rate in Detroit.[6] The United Automobile Workers (UAW), then at the height of its size and power, officially endorsed Miriani for reelection, stressing his conservative "law and order" position. However, Blacks disagreed with the UAW about Miriani and generally opposed him.[7]

He served until 1961, when he was defeated for reelection by Jerome Cavanagh in an upset fueled largely by African-American support for Cavanagh.[8] Under his administration, Detroit's Cobo Hall and other parts of the Civic Center were completed, and the city's infrastructure was expanded.[2] Miriani was again elected to the City Council in 1965.[2]

In 1969, Miriani was convicted of federal tax evasion and served approximately 10 months in prison.[2] He retired from politics after his conviction.[2]

He died after a long illness on October 18, 1987 in Pontiac, Michigan.[2]

Political offices Preceded byAlbert E. Cobo Mayor of Detroit September 12, 1957 – January 2, 1962 Succeeded byJerome Cavanagh

References

  1. ^ Sugrue, 1995
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Louis C. Miriani, 90, Former Detroit Mayor". New York Times. October 21, 1987.
  3. ^ "Detroit City Council, 1919 to present". Detroit Public Library. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  4. ^ "Detroit's Mayor Cobo, 63, Dies of Heart Attack". Ludington Daily News. Sep 13, 1957.
  5. ^ "Detroit Elects First Negro". Ludington Daily News. Nov 5, 1957.
  6. ^ Alan DiGaetano, "Urban political regime formation: A study in contrast." Journal of Urban Affairs 11.3 (1989) pp: 261-281.
  7. ^ Thomas, Cornelius C. "The Trade Union Leadership Council: Black Workers Respond to the United Automobile Workers, 1957-1967." New Politics 10.2 (2005): 124.
  8. ^ Joseph Turrini (Nov–Dec 1999). "Phooie on Louie: African American Detroit and the Election of Jerry Cavanagh" (PDF). Michigan History.

Further reading

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