Edward C. Pierce
Encyclopedia
Edward Charles Pierce was a politician and physician from the U.S. state of Michigan
.
, in St. Joseph County, Michigan
. He moved with his family to Ann Arbor, Michigan
, in 1940 at the age of ten and, after serving in the U.S. Air Force
, studied at the University of Michigan
, from which he earned a B.A. degree in 1955 and an M.D. degree in 1959.
Pierce served a two-year term on the Ann Arbor
city council from 1964 to 1966. In spring 1967, Pierce made his first bid for the mayoralty of Ann Arbor
, winning the Democratic
nomination but losing the general election to incumbent Republican
mayor Wendell E. Hulcher
. In the late 1960s, Pierce also took part in activism against the Vietnam War
.
Pierce ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House of Representatives
from Michigan's second district in 1974 and 1976, losing in the Democratic
primary on his first attempt, and in the general election on his second attempt. He was elected to the Michigan State Senate from the state's eighteenth district in 1978, and held the seat through 1982. In the State Senate, Pierce served as chairman of the Health and Social Services Committee and as vice chairman of the Senate Administration and Rules Committee and the Education Committee.
In 1985, Pierce again ran for Ann Arbor
mayor. He won the Democratic
nomination by defeating University of Michigan
professor Bunyan Bryant, a liberal activist who was bidding to become the city's second African-American mayor, and he subsequently beat out Republican
candidate Richard A. Hadler in the general election. Pierce served one two-year term as mayor, from 1985 to 1987, but was defeated in the April 1987 mayoral election by Republican
city councilman Gerald D. Jernigan
.
In his medical career, Pierce ran an Ann Arbor
family practice until his 1996 retirement, served at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital (Michigan) as chair of the Family Practice Department, and established a free medical clinic, the Summit Medical Center, which lasted from 1968 to 1978 and was intended to provide care regardless of patients' ability to pay. In 1996, Pierce co-founded the group Merian's Friends, which promoted the legalization of physician aid in dying
for terminally ill patients, and served as its volunteer chairman. The group vigorously campaigned for a 1997 Michigan ballot initiative to legalize the practice, but voters rejected the measure by a considerable margin.
Pierce died in Ann Arbor
in 2002 and is survived by three daughters, Lynne, Amy and Jan, and one son, Paul. Lynne Pierce, a lawyer in Wayne County, Michigan
, was elected to the Third Judicial Circuit Court of Michigan in 2008. Jan Pierce White founded the Boys & Girls Club of Rohnert Park, California in 1991. She is a singer/songwriter and produces/hosts a program featuring songwriters for public television. When last heard from Amy and Paul both lived in Florida.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Biography
Pierce was born in the town of Three RiversThree Rivers, Michigan
Three Rivers is a city in St. Joseph County in the US state of Michigan. The population was 7,811 at the 2010 census.Three Rivers derives its name from the confluence of the St. Joseph River with its tributaries the Rocky and Portage Rivers. It is the home of St...
, in St. Joseph County, Michigan
St. Joseph County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 62,422 people, 23,381 households, and 16,600 families residing in the county. The population density was 124 people per square mile . There were 26,503 housing units at an average density of 53 per square mile...
. He moved with his family to Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, in 1940 at the age of ten and, after serving in the U.S. Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, studied at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, from which he earned a B.A. degree in 1955 and an M.D. degree in 1959.
Pierce served a two-year term on the Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
city council from 1964 to 1966. In spring 1967, Pierce made his first bid for the mayoralty of Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, winning the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
nomination but losing the general election to incumbent Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
mayor Wendell E. Hulcher
Wendell E. Hulcher
Wendell Ellsworth Hulcher was a businessman, politician, and government bureaucrat. He served as mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan from 1965 to 1969.- Biography :Hulcher served as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force during World War II...
. In the late 1960s, Pierce also took part in activism against the Vietnam War
Opposition to the Vietnam War
The movement against US involvment in the in Vietnam War began in the United States with demonstrations in 1964 and grew in strength in later years. The US became polarized between those who advocated continued involvement in Vietnam, and those who wanted peace. Peace movements consisted largely of...
.
Pierce ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Michigan's second district in 1974 and 1976, losing in the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
primary on his first attempt, and in the general election on his second attempt. He was elected to the Michigan State Senate from the state's eighteenth district in 1978, and held the seat through 1982. In the State Senate, Pierce served as chairman of the Health and Social Services Committee and as vice chairman of the Senate Administration and Rules Committee and the Education Committee.
In 1985, Pierce again ran for Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
mayor. He won the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
nomination by defeating University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
professor Bunyan Bryant, a liberal activist who was bidding to become the city's second African-American mayor, and he subsequently beat out Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate Richard A. Hadler in the general election. Pierce served one two-year term as mayor, from 1985 to 1987, but was defeated in the April 1987 mayoral election by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
city councilman Gerald D. Jernigan
Gerald D. Jernigan
Gerald D. Jernigan was mayor of the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, from 1987 to 1991.-Biography:Born in Flint, Michigan, Jernigan served a four-year stint in the United States Air Force, then earned a B.S. in finance from Michigan State University and an MBA from Western Michigan University...
.
In his medical career, Pierce ran an Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
family practice until his 1996 retirement, served at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital (Michigan) as chair of the Family Practice Department, and established a free medical clinic, the Summit Medical Center, which lasted from 1968 to 1978 and was intended to provide care regardless of patients' ability to pay. In 1996, Pierce co-founded the group Merian's Friends, which promoted the legalization of physician aid in dying
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
for terminally ill patients, and served as its volunteer chairman. The group vigorously campaigned for a 1997 Michigan ballot initiative to legalize the practice, but voters rejected the measure by a considerable margin.
Pierce died in Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
in 2002 and is survived by three daughters, Lynne, Amy and Jan, and one son, Paul. Lynne Pierce, a lawyer in Wayne County, Michigan
Wayne County, Michigan
-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...
, was elected to the Third Judicial Circuit Court of Michigan in 2008. Jan Pierce White founded the Boys & Girls Club of Rohnert Park, California in 1991. She is a singer/songwriter and produces/hosts a program featuring songwriters for public television. When last heard from Amy and Paul both lived in Florida.