Man in Motion

Today, greedy business leaders are regularly paraded before the new media in handcuffs, and shady politicians are often doomed by the outrage of their colleagues and constituents. Therefore, the story of an adventuresome but ethical businessman-politician who racked up successes in both fields can be downright refreshing. The subject of a newly published biography - Michigan’s former Senate Majority Leader, Emil Lockwood - was such a man. He forged several successful businesses, as well as a stellar political career, yet was known by colleagues and the news media as a man of honour and solid principles.

Authors Stan and Marilyn Fedewa chronicle Emil Lockwood’s decisive leadership, quick wit, and principled character from a small-town beginning in Ottawa, Illinois; through WWII kamikaze attacks in the South Pacific; and into the maelstrom of the Michigan Senate (1963-1970). As Majority Leader, Lockwood’s mettle was put to the test during unprecedented crises of fiscal reform and post-Detroit-riot civil unrest.