Fred W. Green

Governor of Michigan, 1927-1931, Fred W. Green was born in Manistee in 1872 and grew up in Cadillac. A partner in the Ypsilanti Reed Furniture Company, he moved the business to Ionia in 1904. Attracted to politics, he served twelve terms as mayor of Ionia and ten years as treasurer of the Republican State Central Committee. While mayor, he had this handsome Mission-style house built, completing it in 1924. An avid sportsman, his administration was characterized by an expanding fish planting program and acquisition of seven state parks. In 1931 he returned to private life and to his favorite pastimes, hunting and fishing. He died in 1936 near Munising.