In the 1930 United States census, Michigan was recorded as having a population of 4,842,325, ranking as the seventh most populous state in the country. By 1940, Michigan's population had increased by 8.5% to 5,256,106.
The following is a list of cities in Michigan with a population of at least 20,000 based on 1930 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1920 and 1940 is included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases. Cities that are part of the Detroit metropolitan area are shaded in tan.
The following is a list of counties in Michigan with populations of at least 50,000 based on 1930 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1920 and 1940 are included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases.
1939 Detroit Lions season – Under head coach Gus Henderson, the Lions compiled a 6–5 record and placed third in the NFL's Western Division. The team's statistical leaders included Dwight Sloan with 658 passing yards, Bill Shepherd with 420 rushing yards, and Chuck Hanneman with 257 receiving yards and 29 points scored.[6]
Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race – In the 15th annual sailing race, Manitou skippered by James R. Lowe, won the racing-cruising division, and Iolanthe, a 36-foot yawl, won the cruising class.[22]
Michigan Open - Marvin Stahl from Lansing won his third Michigan Open title on July 30 at the Western Golf and Country Club in Redford.[23]
January 1 - Upon leaving office as Governor of Michigan, Frank Murphy was chosen by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as the United States Attorney General.[25]
January 2 - Frank Fitzgerald and Luren Dickinson were sworn in as Governor and Lieutenant Governor in a ceremony in the House chamber in Lansing.[26]
January 2 - Frank Murphy was sworn in as Attorney General in a ceremony at the White House with President Roosevelt present.[27]
January 7 - UAW president Homer Martin suspended all of the officers in UAW Local 51 in Plymouth which he charged was dominated by Communists and which he referred to as "Moscow Square".[28] The suspensions led to calls for the union's executive board to meet,[29] and for Martin to be removed as union president.[30] The board suspended Martin's duty as editor of the union's weekly newspaper on January 11, and reinstated the suspended officers from Local 51 on January 12. On January 13, 3,000 U.A.W members, starting with a pro-Martin and followed by an anti-Martin faction, occupied the Griswold building where the UAW had its headquarters, cut off elevator service, and packed the stairways from the first to eleventh floors. On January 17, the board called for special convention of delegates to be held in Cleveland on March 20.
January 17 - The Senate voted to confirm Frank Murphy as Attorney General with seven dissenting votes. Michigan Senator Vandenberg opposed the confirmation.
January 20 - The UAW executive board voted to impeach union president Homer Martin. Martin then suspended 15 of the 24 board members and announced that the new board had voted to reinstate him.
January 23 - The suspended members of the UAW executive board named R. J. Thomas as the union's acting president to replace Homer Martin. They also voted to suspend the executive board members retained by Martin. On January 24, CIO officials in Washington, D.C., repudiated Martin and recognized Thomas as the UAW's president. Martin responded that the action was a declaration of war by the CIO against the UAW and that John L. Lewis was seeking to become the dictator of organized labor.
September 29 - Irving Kane Pond, architect, scored the first touchdown in University of Michigan football history in 1879, at age 82 in Washington, D.C.
December 12 - Carl E. Mapes, U.S. Congressman (1913–1939), at age 64