My City May 2022

MYHISTORY

Hugh Alexander Crawford 1899-1900

Charles A. Cumings 1900-01 When Cumings took the reins as mayor, the city of Flint was poised to take the next step in its evolution toward becoming the Vehicle City of today. At the turn of the century, the rst automobile made its appearance in the city, changing the course of its history. Cumings was born in 1872 and like Crawford before him, was very young when he was elected. He was another business whiz and investor who supported multiple social and cultural exploits in Flint. At 28 years old, he was elected mayor by the youth of Flint and continued the progressive policies of his predecessor to much acclaim. After his term, he acquired a signicant interest in the Flint Wagon Works and then in the Buick Motor Company. In 1910, he worked with J. Dallas Dort and others to develop the Flint Golf Club and then again in 1917, with the founding of the Flint Community Music Association (the foundational building block of today’s Flint Institute of Music). Charles A. Cumings died in 1960 and was buried in Glenwood Cemetery. ®

e youngest municipal executive ever elected in Flint, Crawford was just 26 years of age when he became mayor in 1899. He was born in Otisville in 1873 where his family operated a lumber company. He acquired his business and workplace knowledge on the job with his father while he worked to complete his studies at Flint High School. After grad uating in 1891, he worked rst as a clerk in M.E. Calkins Bookstore and then as a shipping clerk at W. A. Paterson & Co. Mr. Paterson soon took a shine to the lad and promoted him to superintendent of the Paterson Carriage Factory and private secretary to Paterson himself. During the 1899 mayoral election, the Democratic city convention needed a nominee to run against the Republicans; they chose and ran young Crawford without his consent. He won the election by a large margin as many of the youth who had ltered into the city during the vehi cle boom turned out en masse to vote. Even though it was something he didn’t necessarily want, Crawford took his role as mayor seriously. His administration was extremely successful in making substantial public improvements. For

example, he implemented a new way of street-sweeping and cleaning known in the day as the “white wings” system that made a profound impact on a visitor’s impression of the city. Perhaps his biggest addition to the city, however, was commissioning Genesee Iron Works to build eight steel arches that were erected over downtown Saginaw St. In a stroke of genius, Crawford requested that each arch be out…tted with electric lights to illuminate the downtown atmosphere at night. Saginaw Street would be the rst in Michigan to be lighted in this way. e arches, of course, became a Flint icon and, although they are no longer the originals, continue to line Saginaw St. Indeed, travelers headed through the heart of downtown Flint pass beneath the product of Crawford’s vision each and every day. Crawford was also heavily active in the many social groups of the day, belonging to the Genesee Valley Commandery, Knights Templar, Michi gan Sovereign Conservatory of Detroit, Independent Order of Foresters, Knight of the Loyal Guard and Flint Order of Elks. He left the city in 1916 to pursue other opportunities throughout the state and passed away in 1951.

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