James McMillan (Senator)
| James McMillan | |
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United States Senator from Michigan |
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In office March 4, 1889 – August 10, 1902 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas W. Palmer |
| Succeeded by | Russell A. Alger |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 12, 1838 Hamilton, Ontario |
| Died | August 10, 1902 (aged 64) Manchester, Massachusetts (present-day Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts), U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Mary L. Wetmore |
| Children | William Charles McMillan Grace Fisher McMillan James Howard McMillan Amy McMillan Philip Hamilton McMillan Francis Wetmore McMillan |
James McMillan (May 12, 1838 – August 10, 1902) was a businessman and a Republican U.S. Senator from Michigan.
McMillan was born in Hamilton, Ontario to William and Grace McMillan, both Scottish natives. He attended Hamilton public schools before moving to Detroit, Michigan in 1855 to embark on a career in business. McMillan's first position was as a clerk for Buhl, Ducharme & Co., a wholesale hardware firm. At the age of 20, he left to become the purchasing agent for the Detroit & Milwaukee Railway. In 1863, he helped, along with John Stoughton Newberry, to organize the Michigan Car Company for the manufacture of freight cars. This business grew very rapidly, and in ten years it was one of the largest in the United States. Its success led to the formation of the Detroit Car Wheel Co., the Baugh Steam Forge Co., the Detroit Iron Furnace Co., and the Vulcan Furnace Co.
McMillan later built and became president of the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway. He was largely interested in shipbuilding and lake transportation companies. He was one of the largest owners of the Detroit and Cleveland Steam Navigation Co., and the Detroit Transportation Co., and was a director of several banks in Detroit. For three years he was president of the Detroit Board of Park Commissioners and for four years a member of the Detroit Board of Estimates. In 1886 he joined with John S. Newberry in contributing $100,000 each for the establishment and maintenance of a hospital in Detroit.
McMillan was the only person to be elected Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party three non-consecutive times (1879, 1886 and 1890). He was a presidential elector on the Republican ticket in 1884. He was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 1889 and was reelected in 1895 and 1901, serving from March 4, 1889, until his death. He was a dominant figure in the party, leading the business interests especially in opposition to Progressive reformer Governor Hazen S. Pingree in 1897-1900.
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