Chase Osborn
Encyclopedia
Chase Salmon Osborn was an American politician, newspaper reporter and publisher, and explorer. He served as the 27th Governor of Michigan
from 1911 to 1913.
to George A. Osborn and Margaret (Fannon) Osborn, who named him Chase Salmon after abolitionist Salmon Chase, who would become the next U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under Abraham Lincoln
, and later Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He was educated at Purdue University
, where he became a member of the Sigma Chi
fraternity, yet left before graduating. From there he moved to Chicago, Illinois and briefly worked for the Chicago Tribune
. On May 7, 1881, while a reporter for the Evening Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, he married Lillian G. Jones. They moved north, near the Michigan border, to Florence, Wisconsin, where he ran a local newspaper and prospected for iron.
where he ran another newspaper, The Sault News, and also began his involvement in politics. In 1889, he was appointed Postmaster of Sault Ste. Marie
and, in 1895, state Fish and Game Warden. In 1898, Governor Hazen S. Pingree
appointed Osborn Commissioner of Railroads
, a position in which he served from 1899 to 1903. After selling out his newspaper, he and Walter J. Hunsaker bought The Saginaw Courier Herald. In 1900, he was unsuccessful to win the Republican
nomination for Governor of Michigan
, losing to Aaron T. Bliss
, who won the general election. In 1908, he served as a Delegate
to the Republican National Convention
from Michigan to nominate William Howard Taft
for U.S. President. That same year he became a member of the University of Michigan
Board of Regents
and served from 1908 to 1911.
In 1910, Osborn was elected the 27th Governor of Michigan
and served from 1911 to 1913. His tenure as governor was focused on reforms as the state deficit was eliminated; a workmen's compensation bill was sanctioned; and a presidential primary law was authorized. In 1912, Osborn campaigned for Theodore Roosevelt
for President to unseat the current President Taft. After Roosevelt lost the Republican nomination and bolted from the party to start the Progressive Party
, Osborn still campaigned for him in Illinois
, Missouri
, and Oklahoma
, yet not in Michigan. Osborn did not run for a second term and is to date the only governor of Michigan from the Upper Peninsula
.
After his term as Governor, Osborn traveled the world and came back for another attempt to become governor again and unseat his successor, Democrat
Woodbridge Nathan Ferris
, but was unsuccessful. In 1918 he was a candidate in the primary
for United States Senator from Michigan
, being defeated by fellow Republican Truman H. Newberry. He supported Woodrow Wilson's
League of Nations
, and urged participation in world affairs during the 1920s and 1930s despite the consensus of isolationism
during those years. Osborn met Stellanova Brunt in 1924, and she took a job as his researcher and secretary. In 1928, he was a candidate for the Republican nomination for U.S. Vice President, yet was defeated by Charles Curtis
, who would win with Herbert Hoover
as President in 1932. In 1930, he was again a candidate in the primary for the U.S. Senate, being defeated by fellow Republican James Couzens. In 1931, Chase and Lillian Osborn legally adopted 37-year-old Stellanova, and she changed her last name to Osborn. In 1934, he was elected Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party
. In 1936, he was a candidate for Presidential Elector to elect Alfred Landon, who would lose to Franklin Roosevelt. In 1939, he met with Roosevelt to lobby for construction of the Mackinac Bridge
, a project that would be completed in 1957 after the deaths of both Osborn and Roosevelt.
, Sons of the American Revolution
, Freemasons
, Elks
, Kiwanis
, Knights of Pythias
, Lions Club, Odd Fellows
, Sigma Chi
, and Sigma Delta Chi. He was also the author of several books.
Osborn used a wheelchair, and Stellanova became his full time nurse. After his wife Lillian died, Stellanova’s adoption was annulled. On April 9, 1949, at Osborn’s Georgia residence, he at 89 and Stellanova at 54 were married. He died two days later at Possum Poke, his residence in Poulan, Georgia
. He is interred at Duck Island, his Michigan residence on Sugar Island
, near Sault Ste. Marie
in the St. Marys River
.
Osborn's book The Iron Hunter (1919; republished 2002) is autobiographical. The title refers to work he did prospecting for iron ore in Wisconsin and the Michigan Upper Peninsula and reflects his love of the outdoors. He wrote several other books and co-wrote some with his adopted daughter, Stellanova, who also wrote several books herself.
There is an undated oil painting on canvas of Governor Osborn on display at the Bay Mills Community College
Library and Heritage Center in Brimley, MI. The riverfront walk in downtown Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
features a historical monument and bust of Osborn. The Student Union at the Ann Arbor campus of the University of Michigan
also holds a bust of Osborn on the first floor. The female freshman
dormitory at Lake Superior State University
in Sault Ste. Marie is named in honor of him.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
from 1911 to 1913.
Early life in Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin
Osborn was born in a log house in Huntington County, IndianaHuntington County, Indiana
Huntington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. The county seat and lone city is Huntington. According to Census 2010, the population was 37,124.-Geography:...
to George A. Osborn and Margaret (Fannon) Osborn, who named him Chase Salmon after abolitionist Salmon Chase, who would become the next U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, and later Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He was educated at Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
, where he became a member of the Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
fraternity, yet left before graduating. From there he moved to Chicago, Illinois and briefly worked for the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
. On May 7, 1881, while a reporter for the Evening Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, he married Lillian G. Jones. They moved north, near the Michigan border, to Florence, Wisconsin, where he ran a local newspaper and prospected for iron.
Life and politics in Michigan
Osborn later moved to Sault Ste. Marie, MichiganSault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
where he ran another newspaper, The Sault News, and also began his involvement in politics. In 1889, he was appointed Postmaster of Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
and, in 1895, state Fish and Game Warden. In 1898, Governor Hazen S. Pingree
Hazen S. Pingree
Hazen Stuart Pingree was a four-term Republican mayor of Detroit and the 24th Governor of the US state of Michigan .-Early life in Maine and Massachusetts:...
appointed Osborn Commissioner of Railroads
Michigan Railroad Commission
The Michigan Railroad Commission was an agency in the state of Michigan which regulated the operations of railroads within the state. It was established by the Michigan Legislature in 1873; in 1919 it was abolished and its functions transferred to a new body, the Michigan Public Utilities...
, a position in which he served from 1899 to 1903. After selling out his newspaper, he and Walter J. Hunsaker bought The Saginaw Courier Herald. In 1900, he was unsuccessful to win the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
nomination for Governor of Michigan
Governor of Michigan
The Governor of Michigan is the chief executive of the U.S. State of Michigan. The current Governor is Rick Snyder, a member of the Republican Party.-Gubernatorial elections and term of office:...
, losing to Aaron T. Bliss
Aaron T. Bliss
Aaron Thomas Bliss was a U.S. Representative from and the 25th Governor of the US state of Michigan, and was from Saginaw-Early life in New York:...
, who won the general election. In 1908, he served as a Delegate
Delegate
A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization at a meeting or conference between organizations of the same level A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization (e.g., a government, a charity, an NGO, or a trade union) at a meeting or conference...
to the Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
from Michigan to nominate William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
for U.S. President. That same year he became a member of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Board of Regents
Board of Regents
In the United States, a board often governs public institutions of higher education, which include both state universities and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual colleges and universities, or both. In general they operate as...
and served from 1908 to 1911.
In 1910, Osborn was elected the 27th Governor of Michigan
Governor of Michigan
The Governor of Michigan is the chief executive of the U.S. State of Michigan. The current Governor is Rick Snyder, a member of the Republican Party.-Gubernatorial elections and term of office:...
and served from 1911 to 1913. His tenure as governor was focused on reforms as the state deficit was eliminated; a workmen's compensation bill was sanctioned; and a presidential primary law was authorized. In 1912, Osborn campaigned for Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
for President to unseat the current President Taft. After Roosevelt lost the Republican nomination and bolted from the party to start the Progressive Party
Progressive Party (United States, 1912)
The Progressive Party of 1912 was an American political party. It was formed after a split in the Republican Party between President William Howard Taft and former President Theodore Roosevelt....
, Osborn still campaigned for him in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, and Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, yet not in Michigan. Osborn did not run for a second term and is to date the only governor of Michigan from the Upper Peninsula
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. It is also known as the land "above the Bridge" linking the two peninsulas. The peninsula is bounded...
.
After his term as Governor, Osborn traveled the world and came back for another attempt to become governor again and unseat his successor, Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Woodbridge Nathan Ferris
Woodbridge Nathan Ferris
Woodbridge Nathan Ferris was an educator from New York, Illinois and Michigan, as well as Democratic statesman and the 28th Governor of Michigan .-Early life in New York, Michigan and Illinois:...
, but was unsuccessful. In 1918 he was a candidate in the primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
for United States Senator from Michigan
United States Congressional Delegations from Michigan
This is a complete listing of all historical congressional delegations from Michigan to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.-United States Senate:-Delegates from Michigan Territory:-Members from Michigan:-Notes:...
, being defeated by fellow Republican Truman H. Newberry. He supported Woodrow Wilson's
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
, and urged participation in world affairs during the 1920s and 1930s despite the consensus of isolationism
Isolationism
Isolationism is the policy or doctrine of isolating one's country from the affairs of other nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic commitments, international agreements, etc., seeking to devote the entire efforts of one's country to its own advancement and remain at peace by...
during those years. Osborn met Stellanova Brunt in 1924, and she took a job as his researcher and secretary. In 1928, he was a candidate for the Republican nomination for U.S. Vice President, yet was defeated by Charles Curtis
Charles Curtis
Charles Curtis was a United States Representative, a longtime United States Senator from Kansas later chosen as Senate Majority Leader by his Republican colleagues, and the 31st Vice President of the United States...
, who would win with Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
as President in 1932. In 1930, he was again a candidate in the primary for the U.S. Senate, being defeated by fellow Republican James Couzens. In 1931, Chase and Lillian Osborn legally adopted 37-year-old Stellanova, and she changed her last name to Osborn. In 1934, he was elected Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party
Michigan Republican Party
The Michigan Republican Party is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party in Michigan. It is sometimes referred to as MIGOP, which simply means Michigan Grand Old Party....
. In 1936, he was a candidate for Presidential Elector to elect Alfred Landon, who would lose to Franklin Roosevelt. In 1939, he met with Roosevelt to lobby for construction of the Mackinac Bridge
Mackinac Bridge
The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the non-contiguous Upper and Lower peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. Opened in 1957, the bridge is the third longest in total suspension in the world and the longest suspension bridge between anchorages...
, a project that would be completed in 1957 after the deaths of both Osborn and Roosevelt.
Retirement, death, and legacy
After politics, Osborn returned to the newspaper business and became active in the pursuit of iron ore prospecting. He was a member of the Audubon Society, National Rifle AssociationNational Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
, Sons of the American Revolution
Sons of the American Revolution
The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution is a Louisville, Kentucky-based fraternal organization in the United States...
, Freemasons
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, Elks
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is an American fraternal order and social club founded in 1868...
, Kiwanis
Kiwanis
Kiwanis International is an international, coeducational service club founded in 1915. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Current membership is 240,000 members in 7,700 clubs in 80 nations...
, Knights of Pythias
Knights of Pythias
The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded at Washington, DC, on 19 February 1864.The Knights of Pythias was the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded by Justus H. Rathbone, who had been...
, Lions Club, Odd Fellows
Odd Fellows
Odd Fellows is a name broadly referring to any of a large number of friendly societies, fraternal and service organizations and/or Lodges.-Societies using the name "Odd Fellows" or variations:...
, Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
, and Sigma Delta Chi. He was also the author of several books.
Osborn used a wheelchair, and Stellanova became his full time nurse. After his wife Lillian died, Stellanova’s adoption was annulled. On April 9, 1949, at Osborn’s Georgia residence, he at 89 and Stellanova at 54 were married. He died two days later at Possum Poke, his residence in Poulan, Georgia
Poulan, Georgia
Poulan is a city in Worth County, Georgia, United States. The population was 946 at the 2000 census. It was settled about 1877, was also located along the Brunswick and Albany railroad. The city was named for Judge W.A...
. He is interred at Duck Island, his Michigan residence on Sugar Island
Sugar Island (Michigan)
Sugar Island is an island in the U.S. state of Michigan in the St. Marys River between the United States and the Canadian province of Ontario. The entire island constitutes Sugar Island Township in Chippewa County at the eastern tip of the Upper Peninsula...
, near Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
in the St. Marys River
St. Marys River (Michigan-Ontario)
The St. Marys River , sometimes written as the St. Mary's River, drains Lake Superior, starting at the end of Whitefish Bay and flowing 74.5 miles southeast into Lake Huron, with a fall of ....
.
Osborn's book The Iron Hunter (1919; republished 2002) is autobiographical. The title refers to work he did prospecting for iron ore in Wisconsin and the Michigan Upper Peninsula and reflects his love of the outdoors. He wrote several other books and co-wrote some with his adopted daughter, Stellanova, who also wrote several books herself.
There is an undated oil painting on canvas of Governor Osborn on display at the Bay Mills Community College
Bay Mills Community College
Bay Mills Community College is a two-year tribal college chartered by the Bay Mills Indian Community of Michigan. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifies the school in the "very small university" category, giving its enrollment for the 2003-2004 school year as 401...
Library and Heritage Center in Brimley, MI. The riverfront walk in downtown Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
features a historical monument and bust of Osborn. The Student Union at the Ann Arbor campus of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
also holds a bust of Osborn on the first floor. The female freshman
Freshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
dormitory at Lake Superior State University
Lake Superior State University
Lake Superior State University is a small public university in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It is Michigan's smallest public university with an enrollment around 3,000 students. Due to its proximity to the border, notably the twin city of Sault Ste...
in Sault Ste. Marie is named in honor of him.
Sources
- Biodata from "Politicalgraveyard.com"
- Wayne State University Press publicity for republication of The Iron Hunter
- Shaul, Richard D. 2004. "To a Different Drum." Michigan History, September/October 2004
- U.S.S. Chase S. Osborn
- Chase Salmon Osborn and Stellanova Osborn website
- "Osborn, Chase Salmon," Men of progress: embracing biographical sketches of representative Michigan men; with an outline history of the state ... (The Evening News Association, Detroit, 1900), p. 131
- National Governors Association
- Bentley Historical Library
- Governor Osborn's home in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
- A Michigan Love Story by Stan J. Wooded
- Hunts' Guide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, "Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan: Riverfront walk along Water Street and Brady Park"
Additional reading
- Fuller, George, Ed., Messages of the Governors of Michigan, Volume 4 (East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan State University Press) ISBN 0-87013-723-9; ISBN 978-0-87013-723-5.