My City July 2022

MYHISTORY

David R. Cuthbertson 1923-24

Judson L. Transue 1924-27 Backed by the Ku Klux Klan and running on a campaign of anti-immigrant rhetoric and conspir acies concerning Flint’s rich and successful citizens, Transue won the replacement election after the recall of Mayor Cuthbertson, despite the former mayor owning the support of city newspapers and businessmen. Transue was born in Williamson, NY in 1897 and worked in Flint, ƒrst as a schoolteacher and then as a banker. Despite owing his mayorship to KKK-fueled bigotry, Transue did not concede to all their demands. He did ƒre all the women hired by Cuthbertson but kept Catholic police chief, James P. Cole – a decision that greatly angered the KKK. Transue worked to disavow any association to the group to no avail. While mayor, Transue added regulations to the sale of meat in order to quell the amount of bad meat ƒnding its way to city consumers. He also was a driving force behind the creation of the Grand Trunk Railroad’s Western Line that ran from Belsay through Swartz Creek. He even drove the ƒnal spike to complete the tracking. Transportation continued to be ƒrst and foremost in Transue’s administration after he approved and built an eight-man committee to lobby the state to obtain more state-constructed roads in the city as well as the rest of Genesee County. After his terms as mayor, Transue went into real estate and set up the ƒrm of Dain & Transue. Judson L. Transue died in 1980 and was buried in Sunset Hills Cemetery. ® David R. Cuthbertson had perhaps the shortest tenure of any Flint mayor, lasting less than a year. He was born in 1868 in Taymouth, MI and owned and operated a sawmill in Flint. In 1923, he ran against and ousted William McKeighan after his second term to the angst and dismay of McKeighan’s questionable supporters, particularly the Klu Klux Klan.™e KKK were gaining political power in the city during the Roaring Twenties and were able to push their inšuence by taking control of the Genesee County Con vention and gaining o›ce in Flint wards and county townships.™ey took an exception to Cuthbertson’s victory over McKeighan from the start. Cuthbertson rode in on a wave of law & order and immediately set to his task. He came down hard on speakeasies and illegal liquor sales during prohibition but was unable to completely stop the šow into the city.™e KKK used this “failure” to push the narrative that he was an inept leader and also took exception with Cuthbertson’s hiring of married women for governmental positions.™e ƒnal straw was when Cuthbertson named James P. Cole – a Catholic – as acting police chief. ™ey demanded a recall of the election. Before the election was to take place, the KKK blanketed the city with anti-Cuthbertson propaganda dropped from a plane and rallied to go door-to-door to get the votes. Cuthbertson lost the recall election. He ran in the replacement election but lost to the KKK backed Judson L. Transue. During his short time in o›ce, Cuthbertson passed upgraded building codes and housing laws. He died in 1941 and was buried with his family in Taymouth Cemetery.

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