State Archives of Michigan

BALDWIN, Henry Porter, a Senator from Michigan; born in Coventry, R.I., February 22, 1814; attended the common schools; moved to Detroit, Mich., and established wholesale business in boots and shoes in 1838; member of the convention which organized the Republican Party in Jackson, Mich., in 1854; director of the Michigan State Bank and president of the Second National Bank of Detroit 1863-1887; member, State senate 1861-1862; Governor of Michigan 1869-1873; appointed and subsequently elected as a Republican to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Zachariah Chandler and served from November 17, 1879, to March 3, 1881; was not a candidate for reelection; resumed his former business pursuits; president of the Detroit National Bank 1883-1887; died in Detroit, Mich., December 31, 1892; interment in Elmwood Cemetery.