American politician
Howard A. Coffin
Detroit Free Press , October 30, 1946
In office January 3, 1947 โ January 3, 1949Preceded by George D. O'Brien Succeeded by George D. O'Brien
Born (1877-06-11 ) June 11, 1877Middleborough, Massachusetts , U.S.Died February 28, 1956(1956-02-28) (aged 78)Washington, D.C. , U.S. Political party Republican Education Brown University
Howard Aldridge Coffin (June 11, 1877 โ February 28, 1956) was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan . Alongside Harold F. Youngblood , he remains the last Republican to represent any part of Detroit in congress, as of 2024.[ 1] Both men were elected in the Republican wave year of 1946 , only to lose re-election two years later in 1948 .
Biography
Coffin was born in Middleborough, Massachusetts and attended the Vermont Academy at Saxtons River . He graduated from Brown University , Providence, Rhode Island , in 1901 and was a teacher in the Providence Friends School that same year.
He worked as a representative for the book publishers, Ginn & Company , 1901-1911; controller, Warren Motor Car Company , Detroit , Michigan , 1911-1913; manager, Firestone Tire and Rubber Company , of Michigan, 1913-1918; secretary, Detroit Pressed Steel Company , 1918-1921; assistant to president, Cadillac Motor Company , of Detroit, 1921-1925; vice president and later president, White Star Refining Company , 1925-1933; general manager, Socony-Vacuum Oil Company , 1933โ1946.
In 1946, Coffin was elected as a Republican to the United States House of Representatives from Michigan's 13th congressional district , defeating former Representative Clarence J. McLeod in the Republican primary and going on to defeat incumbent Democrat George D. O'Brien in the general election. Coffin served in the 80th Congress , from January 3, 1947 to January 3, 1949. In a re-match, Coffin lost to O'Brien in the general election of 1948.
Coffin organized the Industrial Service Bureau in Washington, D.C. , and was a business consultant until his retirement in 1954. He died in Washington, D.C. , in 1956 and is interred in Woodlawn Cemetery , Detroit , Michigan .
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