My City August 2022

MYHISTORY

George E. Boysen 1935-36

Howard J. Clifford 1934-35

A long-time member of the Freemasons and Order of the Elks, Boysen came in as the exact opposite of his predecessor Howard J. Cliord. He was born in 1890 in Port Clinton, OH and €rst worked as vice president of the CVS Manufacturing company from 1917-1932 before joining the General Motors Corp. as paymaster when he came to Flint. He was boisterous and often unruly and many claimed him nothing more than a crackpot. Tensions were high between the city’s workers and GM leading up to and during his tenure as mayor and, due to his ties to the company, the majority of autoworkers in the city regarded him as a “plant” by GM to gain a political upper hand. Indeed, Boysen took the company line after his stint as mayor when, during the Sit-Down Strike, he organized the GM Flint Alliance, a collection of autoworkers pushing for the end of the strike and an opportunity to “get back to work.” He claimed a membership of over 25,000 workers and citizens and scheduled a parade during the strike which he canceled (due to lack of actual members). He then pushed the notion to the press that 82% of the city was against the strike with no evidence to back his claims.When pressed about his ties to the company, Boysen claimed that the alliance was €nanced by him alone; but his membership numbers were tied to signed aœdavits distributed by GM to its workers.že unions (and workers themselves) claimed that the aœdavits were signed under threat of job loss. Boysen was villainized by the Flint autoworkers and immortalized in a well-known city strike song.že verse reads, “Now the strike is over and our song is nearly through. So is George E. Boysen and the Flint Alliance too.” Boysen thrice again tried his hand at politics, running in the Republican Primary for U. S. Representative in 1932 and 1936 and for state senate in 1938. Boysen died in 1967.While he was mayor, Ballenger Park was established, the Community Schools Program began operating and the Golden Leaf club opened its doors for the €rst time.

Born in Oxford, MI in 1875, Rev. Howard J. Cli ord came from a family of faith and ministry. As he became older, Cli ord joined the church as well, serving as pastor and founder of the Parkland Presbyterian Church in Flint from 1915-17 and, shortly before his time as mayor, as pastor of the First Church of Saginaw. As a young man, he joined the Salvation Army Corps., rising to the rank of captain in the City of Flint chapter. As a member of the Corps, Cli ord worked with auto workers and helped to alleviate their needs. His work caught the eye of W. C. Durant and he was brought aboard GM in charge of welfare work for Buick employees. In 1920, he was tapped to lead GM’s new department of personal relations, overseeing employees and plants in more than 60 cities while working on Durant’s personal sta . After Durant lost General Motors, Cli ord resigned his position. Rev. Cli ord was a much-loved person among the city’s industrial workers and described by newcomers and citizens alike as “the man who loved humans.” He went out of his way to help those with a need or dream. When a Greek Orthodox priest came to town and wanted to establish a church, Cli ord, even though it wasn’t his own religion, helped him raise funds to build it. During a short-lived “ice” famine in the city, Cli ord rounded up as much ice as he could and deliv ered it to families in need. He was urged by many citizens to run for mayor and the city council listened. It was something that Cli ord never wanted but the city council chose him over nine others in 1934 and he accepted. While mayor, Bishop Airport opened for its —rst ˜ight. He was a member of the Genesee Masons and his wife, Marian, was instrumen tal in the continued success of the Salvation Army Flint Citadel Band. Howard J. Cli ord died in 1940.

64