William Milliken
| William Milliken | |
|---|---|
| 44th Governor of Michigan | |
|
In office January 22, 1969 – January 1, 1983 |
|
| Lieutenant |
Thomas F. Schweigert (Acting) James Brickley James Damman James Brickley |
| Preceded by | George Romney |
| Succeeded by | Jim Blanchard |
| 54th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan | |
|
In office January 1, 1965 – January 22, 1969 |
|
| Governor | George Romney |
| Preceded by | John Lesinski |
| Succeeded by | Thomas F. Schweigert (Acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
William Grawn Milliken March 26, 1922 Traverse City, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Wallbank (1945–2012) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Yale University |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1942–1945 |
| Unit |
 United States Army Air Forces
|
| Battles/wars | World War II |
William Grawn Milliken (born March 26, 1922), is an American politician who served as the 44th and longest-serving Governor of Michigan from January 22, 1969 to January 1, 1983.
Milliken was born in Traverse City, Michigan, the second child in a family familiar with the intricacies of public service. His father, James T. Milliken, served as mayor of Traverse City and as Michigan State Senator for the 27th District, 1941–50, and his mother Hildegarde (née Grawn) had been elected to the Traverse City school board; the first woman elected to public office there. Milliken's paternal grandfather James W. also served as a Michigan State Senator from the 27th District, 1898-1900.
Upon graduating from high school, Milliken entered Yale University, where he met his future wife, Helen Wallbank. In 1942, he interrupted his studies to enlist in the Army Reserve Corps and, in early 1943, volunteered for the Army Air Corps. During World War II he flew 50 combat missions as a waist-gunner on B-24 bombers and survived two crash landings. He received seven military honors, including the Purple Heart and Air Medal.
On October 20, 1945, one month after he was discharged honorably, he and Helen were married. The couple had two children: a daughter, Elaine, a lawyer and feminist, who died of cancer in 1993, and a son, William, Jr. The following spring, Milliken graduated from Yale. William and Helen Milliken moved to Traverse City, Michigan that year and he became president of J.W. Milliken, Inc., a department store founded by his grandfather, and later run by his father. Helen W. Milliken died, aged 89, on November 16, 2012 at her Traverse City home, following a battle with ovarian cancer.
In 1947, Governor Kim Sigler appointed Milliken to the Michigan Waterways Commission. In 1960, Milliken was elected as a state senator from the 27th District, serving from 1961 to 1964. He was the 52nd Lieutenant Governor of Michigan from 1965 to 1969, and became governor after George W. Romney resigned from office to serve in President Richard Nixon's cabinet. He was subsequently elected to full four-year terms in 1970, 1974, and 1978. He was considered to be a moderate Republican governor in the Nelson A. Rockefeller mold. In June 1982, the governor led the formation of the Council of Great Lakes Governors.
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