George W. Welsh

George W. Welsh was a Republican politician from Michigan who served as Lieutenant Governor of Michigan, in the Michigan House of Representatives including as its Speaker during the 52nd Legislature, and as the mayor of Grand Rapids, Michigan.^[1]

Born in Glasgow, Scotland on March 27, 1883 to Joseph and Elizabeth Welsh, George Welsh operated a printing business and was the publisher of the farm magazine "The Fruit Belt."

Welsh's political career began in 1917 when he was elected to the State House representing Kent County, where he served until 1924 and as Speaker in his final two years. Alex J. Groesbeck selected Welsh to be his running mate for his successful campaign for Governor of Michigan in 1924. Welsh attended the Republican National Convention in Cleveland that year which nominated Calvin Coolidge for President of the United States.

He was a candidate in the primary for Governor in both 1928, losing to Fred W. Green, and 1932, losing to Wilber M. Brucker.

Welsh was elected mayor of Grand Rapids in 1938, serving for just over a decade.

When he served as the city manager of Grand Rapids, Welsh masterminded the construction of the pool at Richmond Park.^[2] He also developed a plan during the Great Depression whereby the city would provide jobs for needy residents, paying them in scrip-type money which could be redeemed for food, clothing, and other necessities at stores in the city. His plan preceded Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal and came to an end when federal programs became available.^[3]

References

Lieutenant Governors of Michigan Mundy Gordon Drake Richardson Greenly Bush Fenton Britain Parsons Griswold Coe Fairfield Birney Williams Backus C. May Grosvenor D. May Bates Holt Sessions Crosby Buttars MacDonald Ball Strong Giddings Milnes McLaughlin Dunstan Robinson Maitland Kelley Ross Dickinson Read Welsh Dickinson Stebbins Read Nowicki Dickinson Wilson Murphy Keyes Connolly Vandenberg Reid Hart Swainson Lesinski Milliken Schweigert Brickley Damman Brickley Griffiths Binsfeld Posthumus Cherry Calley

Speakers of the Michigan House of Representatives Convis Whipple Bingham Acker Fuller Biddle Bingham McClelland Lothrop Hanscom Crary Peck Buel Chapman Harris Thurber Quackenboss Lovell Stout Shaw Mussey Cutcheon Read Warner Woodman Croswell Hoyt Rich Moffatt Howard Clark Markey Diekema Wachtel Tateum Gordon Adams Carton Master Whelan Campbell Baker Currie Smith Rice Read Warner Welsh Wells Gardner Ming Bradley Schroeder Nugent Knox Van Valkenburg Van Peursem Pears Green Kowalski Waldron Ryan Crim Owen Dodak Hertel Hillegonds Hertel Perricone Johnson DeRoche Dillon Bolger Cotter