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Michigan State Land Office

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Michigan State Land Office
Agency overview
Formed1843 (1843)
Dissolved1914 (1914)
Superseding agency
  • Public Domain Commission
JurisdictionState of Michigan
Headquarters

The Michigan State Land Office was a department of the state government of Michigan.[1] It was founded in 1843 and abolished in 1914.

History

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The state land office was established in 1843.[2] The headquarters of the department were located in Marshall at first, but they were moved to Lansing in 1849.[1][3] The head of the department of was the commissioner of the state land office. Initially, the land commissioner was a position appointed by the governor with the consent of the state Senate.[4] Under the 1850 Michigan Constitution, the land commissioner was turned into an elected position.[5] The 1908 state constitution allowed for the department to be abolished.[6]

In 1913, Governor Woodbridge N. Ferris signed a bill to abolish the state land office, effective December 31, 1914.[7][8] The land commissioner's seat on various boards was transferred to the superintendent of public instruction.[9] The functions of the state land office were transferred to the public domain commission.[7] A 1921 act abolished the public domain commission and transferred its functions to the conservation department.[9]

Function

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The Michigan Official Directory and Legislative Manual for the years 1913 to 1914 described the functions of the commissioner of the state land office as such:

He has the general charge and management of all the lands belonging to the state, or in which the state has any interest, or which are held by the state in trust for any purpose; the selling, leasing, and general disposition of all the lands of the state; the custody of the original field notes and plats of surveys of the state. He receives the principal and interest on all lands sold by the state, and collects delinquent taxes on part-paid lands. On his certificate lands sold by the state are patented by the governor. He has the general charge of prosecuting trespasses on state lands and the appointment of trespass agents. He issues licenses to homestead settlers and takes steps to restore to market forfeited homesteads. He has the custody of all books and papers relating to public lands, and keeps the records of sale and disposition of all public lands; sends lists of lands sold, to county treasurers for the purpose of assessment for taxation. He is a member of the board of state auditors, state board of equalization, board of state canvassers, public domain commission, state board of control and board of control for reclamation of state swamp lands.[10]

List of commissioners of the state land office

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Image Name Term Party / Appointer Notes Ref.
Digby V. Bell 1843–1846 John S. Barry [11][12]
Abiel Silver 1846–1850 Alpheus Felch [11][13]
Porter Kibbee 1850–1854 John S. Barry[a] [11]
Democratic [11][14]
Seymour B. Treadwell 1855–1858 Republican [11][15]
James W. Sanborn 1859–1860 Republican [11][16]
Samuel S. Lacey 1861–1864 Republican [11][17]
Cyrus Hewitt 1865–1866 Republican [11][18]
Benjamin D. Pritchard 1867–1870 Republican [11][19]
Charles A. Edmonds 1871–1872 Republican [11][20]
Leverett A. Clapp 1873–1876 Republican [11][21]
Benjamin F. Partridge 1877–1878 Republican [11][22]
James M. Neasmith 1879–1882 Republican [11][23]
Minor Newell 1883–1886 Republican [11][24]
Roscoe D. Dix 1887–1890 Republican [11][25]
George T. Shaffer 1891–1892 Democratic [11][26]
John G. Berry 1893–1894 Republican Removed[b] [11][27]
William A. French 1894–1900 John T. Rich[c] [11][28]
Republican [11][29]
Edwin A. Wildey 1901–1904 Republican [11][30]
William H. Rose 1905–1908 Republican [11][31]
Huntley Russell 1909–1912 Republican [11][32]
Augustus C. Carton 1913–1914 Republican [11][33]

Notes

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  1. ↑ Initially appointed by governor in 1850, and then elected to office later in 1850.
  2. ↑ Removed from office by the governor.
  3. ↑ Initially appointed by governor to fill vacancy, and then elected in the following general election.

References

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  1. 1 2 "One State Dep't' Now Of The Past". The Herald-Palladium. January 2, 1915. p. 3. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "The State Land Office". Detroit Free Press. April 12, 1843. p. 3. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Removal of the State Land Office". Detroit Free Press. May 30, 1849. p. 2. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Laws of Michigan". Detroit Free Press. March 9, 1843. p. 3. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Article 8, Sec. 1". CONSTITUTION OF MICHIGAN OF 1850. Michigan Legislature. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Article VI, Sec. 1". CONSTITUTION OF MICHIGAN OF 1908. Michigan Legislature. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Land Office to Quit Business at End of 1914". The Flint Journal. May 3, 1913. p. 1. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Land Office Abolished". The Flint Journal. May 9, 1913. p. 1. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. 1 2 "A Comparative Analysis of the Michigan Constitution Volumes I Articles VI" (PDF). Citizens Research Council of Michigan. p. 9. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  10. ↑ Michigan manual 1913. 1893. p. 810.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Michigan manual 1951-52. 1951. p. 88.
  12. ↑ "Land Office Commissioner". Kalamazoo Gazette. April 7, 1843. p. 2. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Appointments by the Governor". Detroit Free Press. February 17, 1846. p. 2. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Bingham, Stephen D. (1888). Early History of Michigan: With Biographies of State Officers, Members of Congress, Judges and Legislators. p. 393.
  15. ↑ "Republican Ticket". The Fentonville Observer. November 3, 1854. p. 2. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Republican Ticket". The Courier-Northerner. August 20, 1858. p. 2. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Republican State Nominations". Cass County Weekly. November 1, 1860. p. 2. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ Bingham; Early History of Michigan, pp. 340-341
  19. ↑ "Republican Nominations". Jackson Citizen Patriot. November 5, 1866. p. 2. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ "Republican Ticket". Muskegon Weekly Chronicle. November 2, 1870. p. 2. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ "Republican State Ticket". Grand Rapids Eagle. August 1, 1872. p. 2. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ "National Republican Ticket". Grand Rapids Eagle. August 4, 1876. p. 2. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ↑ "Republican State Nominations". St. Joseph Saturday Herald. November 2, 1878. p. 2. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ "Republican State Ticket". Ypsilanti Commercial. November 4, 1882. p. 4. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ↑ "Republican Ticket". The Herald-Palladium. October 30, 1886. p. 1. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ↑ "Democratic State Ticket". The Ann Arbor Democrat. October 31, 1890. p. 1. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ↑ "Republican State Ticket". Lansing State Journal. November 5, 1892. p. 2. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ↑ "They Are In". Lansing State Journal. March 20, 1894. p. 1. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ↑ "Republican State Ticket". Cass County Weekly. November 1, 1894. p. 4. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ↑ "Republican Nominations". St. Joseph Saturday Herald. November 3, 1900. p. 4. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ↑ "Republican Nominations". The Times Herald. November 7, 1904. p. 4. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ↑ "Republican Ticket". The Times. October 30, 1908. p. 2. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ↑ "Regular Republican Nominations". The Times. November 1, 1912. p. 5. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.


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