My City June 2022

George E. McKinley 1906-08

Horace C. Spencer 1908-09

George E. McKinley was born in 1871 to an Irish immigrant family. His father was active in building the railroad to and through the City of Flint. McKinley was educated in the Flint school system and upon graduation, took his rst job as “cash boy” at the Pierce Dry Goods store. McKinley opened a cigar factory (McKinley Cigar Co.) in Flint that he operated for ten years before closing shop and moving to Evart, MI after his stint as mayor. After approximately 18 months, McKinley returned and re-opened his factory. Interesting ly enough, and against the general rule of the day, McKinley was a factory owner who was very active in labor rights. He worked as an organizer for the American Federation of Labor and superintendent of the Michigan State Free Employment Bureau. He also served as State Factory Inspector in 1914. McKinley started the Flint Fraternal Order of the Eagles and was elected the organization’s rst president. He was also a member of the Royal Arch Masons, Knights of Pythias, and Elks. He assisted J. Dallas Dort in his quest to establish Flint’s park system by serving as secretary of the Flint Park Board and as a member of the Park Commissioners. George E. McKinley died in 1941 and was buried in Glenwood Cemetery. While he was mayor, McKinley was one of the rst to welcome the Weston-Mott Compa ny and C. S. Mott to Flint. An advertisement for his cigar company sits in the Smithsonian Museum in the form of a baseball mitt score card that advertises “Mac’s Best 5-cent Cigars.”

Born in 1832 in Erie County, NY Spencer journeyed to Michigan in 1866. In 1877, he invested the majority of his money as one of the original stockholders in the Second National Bank of Bay City. Next, he traveled to Flint in 1880 and opened a hardware business. It wasn’t long before Spencer entered the banking industry in Genesee County becoming the director and vice president of the Genesee County Savings Bank (GCSB), later becoming chairman of the board. While with the GCSB, Spencer was elected to the State Senate for two consecutive terms serving on the State Redistricting Committee, the Committee for Public Lands, and acting as chairman of the Committee on State Reform Schools and State Mental Institutions. In 1891, he helped establish Citizens Commercial and Savings Bank in Flint, serving as its rst cashier until 1903. After his banking days, he joined Dort and McKinley on the Flint City Park Board and served on the State Board of Agriculture in charge of nance. As mayor, Spencer oversaw a year of rapid business expansion. During that time, Albert Champion moved his spark plug business to Flint; Durant started General Mo tors; Whiting, Whey and Paterson began their automobile factories and the Flint YMCA was opened to the city’s youth. Horace C. Spencer died in 1926.

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