Michigan's Pioneering 'Boy Governor' Gets Another Look

ANN ARBOR (WWJ/AP) — The author of a new book about Stevens T. Mason will discuss the successes and failures of Michigan's first governor at the Gerald R. Ford Library at the University of Michigan.

Don Faber plans to share highlights from his book, "The Boy Governor: Stevens T. Mason and the Birth of Michigan Politics." The talk at the Ann Arbor library is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

Admission is free. Get more information about attending HERE.

Faber describes how Stevens T. Mason led Michigan into statehood, fought a war with Ohio, and helped put in place many of the state's essential institutions, including universities and the Soo Locks.

"So he was kind of a tragic hero in the Shakespearian sense, but as the years and the decades rolled by he came to be appreciated more and more as a pioneer person in Michigan's historic life," Faber said.

Mason was elected the Michigan territory's first governor in 1835 when the state capitol was still in Detroit. He was re-elected in 1837 and served two more years.

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