Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1890-12-17
Lieutenant Governor Elect Strong.


John Strong, much better known
throughout Southern Michigan as
John Strong, Jr., his father, John
Strong, Sr., having died few years
ago at ripe old age, has been resi-
dent of Monroe county for the past
twenty-seven years, and each year has
grown in the respect and esteem of
his fellow-citizens as his sturdy, manly,
straightforward qualities became bet
ter known.
His life has been destitute of stir
ring events, yet it has not been une-
ventful. 1t has been the life, only
possible in America, Of struggle and
triumph. He is to-day reckoned as
among the successful farmers and
business men of southern Michigan,
yet for every dollar he owns he has
rendered one hundred cents in service
to the community.
He was born, a farmers boy, in
Greenfield, Wayne county, in the
Territory of Michigan, April 7, 1881.
The neighboring metropolis of De-
troit then lacked considerable of be-
ing the progressive city it is to-day.
His boyhood was spent upon the farm,
and he received only such an educa-
ton as the common schools of that
time afforded. The system of schools.
now an ornament to the state, was not
established till he was six years old,
and it was in their earliest days that
he was a student. Until the age Of
80 he followed farming in his native
township. 1868 he removed south of
the Huron river, and directly across
it from the little village, then called
Huron, but now called lockwood, on
the southern borders of Wayne county.
The country round about was rich in
forests of hardwood timber, and
Strong engaged in its manufacture.
AS the years passed one business led
the way to another, until the little
saw mill on the south bank of the
Huron had developed into the hustling
village of South lockwood, verita-
BILE hive of industry, all the result of
the energy and business ability of
John Strong. What was heavy forest
upon his arrival, is now one of the
model farms of Southern Michigan,
for Strong retains the love of the &C.
cupation of his youth, and is an en-
thusiastic farmer and stock breeder,
his particular hobby being short-horn-
ed cattle. His comfortable home
stands just west Of the village of
South lockwood, whose growth is
identical with the growth of his bust
ness. Here he is interested in the
manufacture of slaves and heading,
and has one of the best equipped
Touring mills in the state, these being
managed by his son Harry; a large
general store, carrying stock nearly,
if not quite, as large. as any other
dealer in the county, which his son
George and his son-in-law, Mr.. Har.
ris, manage, neat little opera house
and sundry other business ventures.
His children have grown to maturity,
and are now connected with him in
business, while he devotes his best en-
ergies to his favorite farm.
A man of upright character and
strong convictions, he has never been
politician in the ordinary accepta-
tion Of the word yet he has been
called upon to represent his district
in the State Legislature, once from
Wayne county in 1861, and once
from Monroe county in 1879.
In 1880 he was elected State Sen
ator, and reelected in 1882. His
friends proposed naming him as Mon
roe county's candidate for Congress
from the second district, when the
state convention at Grand Rapids
chose him as ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Free Press.