James Joseph Couzens (August 26, 1872 – October 22, 1936) was an American businessman, politician and philanthropist. He served as mayor of Detroit (1919–1922) and U.S. Senator from Michigan (1922–1936). Prior to entering politics he served as vice president and general manager of the Ford Motor Company .
102-522: Couzens was born in Chatham, Ontario , Canada in 1872, the son of soapmaker James and Emma Clift Couzens. He attended the public schools of Chatham and spent time at a business college. He moved to Detroit , Michigan in 1890 and worked as a railroad car checker for the New York Central Railroad from 1890 to 1897. Couzens' diligence at the railroad was noticed by Alexander Y. Malcomson , who hired
204-483: A Republican to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Truman H. Newberry . This appointment was confirmed by his special election on November 4, 1924 to serve the remainder of Newberry's term, at which time he was also elected to a full term commencing March 4, 1925. He was reelected in 1930 , serving in total from November 29, 1922, until his death on October 22, 1936. He
306-475: A birthday request from his wife for "a simple box in which to keep my pearls". Couzens complied, including a note within the box describing the $ 1 million gift, stating "My dear, your new pearls will be all the children who are eventually treated there". Today, Children's Hospital of Michigan is part of the Detroit Medical Center . Disturbed by the failures of low-income housing projects that came out of
408-597: A distinct county in its own right. In 1998, the County of Kent and the city of Chatham were amalgamated by the Province of Ontario to form the Municipality of Chatham–Kent. Most services were also combined. Since then, bus service has begun to serve all of Chatham-Kent. Starting in 2007, routes were set up to include the former towns of Wallaceburg and Dresden . Before 1998, each town had their own fire department. It then became
510-420: A head injury in a fall and was semi-conscious or in a coma for a period of several weeks. He later returned to Michigan and his father's farm. After his mother's death, Kehoe's father married a much younger widow, Frances Wilder, and a daughter was born. On September 17, 1911, as his stepmother attempted to light the family's oil stove, it exploded and set her on fire. Kehoe threw a bucket of water on her, but
612-667: A large area and caused extensive damage to cars parked a half-block away, with their roofs catching on fire from the burning gasoline. It injured several others and mortally wounded postmaster Glenn O. Smith, who lost a leg and died before making it to the hospital. O. H. Bush recalled that one of his crew bound up "the wounds of Glenn Smith, the postmaster. His leg had been blown off". Telephone operators stayed at their stations for hours to summon doctors, undertakers, area hospital workers, and anyone else who might help. The Lansing Fire Department sent several firefighters and its chief. Local physician J. A. Crum and his wife,
714-433: A little dead girl on each side of her and holding a little boy, Percy, who died a short time after they got him to the hospital. This was about the time Kehoe blew his car up in the street, severely wounding Perry, the oldest child of Mr. and Mrs. Hart". The north wing of the school had collapsed, leaving the edge of the roof on the ground. Ellsworth recalled that "there was a pile of children of about five or six under
816-444: A mother tongue and 1,500 have French as their home language. Essex County also has a relatively large francophone population, especially in the municipality of Lakeshore . Together, Chatham–Kent and Essex Counties make up one of the concentrations of Franco-Ontarians in the province of Ontario. Both elementary and secondary francophone schools exist across the municipality. A French socio-cultural organization, La Girouette , which
918-485: A national outpouring of grief. Newspaper headlines from across the U.S. characterized Kehoe as a maniac, a madman, and a fiend. People from across the world expressed sympathy to the families and the community of Bath Township, including letters from some Italian schoolchildren. One 5th grade class wrote: "Even if we are small, we understand all the sorrow and misfortune that has struck our dear brothers". Another Italian class wrote: "We are praying to God to give to
1020-518: A number of regular contributing columnists. The Chatham-Kent Sports Network is an online source covering local sports news, scores, and highlights from each of Chatham-Kent's communities. CKSN also follows Chatham-Kent athletes who have progressed to the Junior, College, International, or Professional ranks. There are two anglophone school boards and one francophone school board in Chatham–Kent. These are
1122-526: A nurse, who had both served in World War I , turned their Bath Township drugstore into a triage center. The dead bodies were taken to the town hall, which was used as a morgue. Hundreds of people worked in the wreckage all day and into the night in an effort to find and rescue any children pinned underneath. Area contractors sent all their men to assist, and many other people came to the scene in response to pleas for help. Eventually, thirty-four firefighters and
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#17328488112821224-678: A retail centre for the municipality and surrounding area. This includes the large big-box stores in Super Centre on St. Clair Street and arguably the north end of Communication Road in Blenheim. The long, white sandy beaches, fishing, hiking trails and conservation areas make Erieau a popular vacation spot. There are two Provincial Parks in Chatham-Kent: Rondeau Provincial Park and Wheatley Provincial Park , There are also numerous local conservation areas. Downtown Chatham
1326-461: A significant portion of the city's political power. Nearby Dresden and Buxton were also home to thousands of land-owning black residents. However, after the abolition of slavery in the United States, many black families left the area. Today the city of Chatham is just 3.3% black, with Chatham-Kent as a whole being 2.1% black. Few of the black-owned institutions are still in operation. In 1846,
1428-453: A spark, scattering burning gasoline throughout the basement. In the undamaged section of the school it was found that Kehoe had concealed the explosives in six lengths of eavestrough pipe , three bamboo fishing rods and what were described as "windmill rods" that were placed in the basement ceiling. Kehoe purchased a .30-caliber Winchester bolt-action rifle in December 1926, according to
1530-509: A tavern and a library where one could read books and newspapers. By 1869, the population was 3,000 in this industrial area with several mills, foundries, and breweries; a great deal of wood was being produced. A steamboat offered transportation to Windsor and Detroit. There was one bank office. Between 1906 and 1909, the city was home to the Chatham Motor Car Company , and from 1919 to 1921, Denby Motor Truck Company of Canada. It
1632-493: A wooden sign wired to the farm's fence with Kehoe's last message stenciled on it: "Criminals are made, not born". The American Red Cross set up an operations center at the Crum drugstore and took the lead in providing aid and comfort to the victims. The Lansing Red Cross headquarters stayed open until 11:30 that night to answer telephone calls, update the list of dead and injured, and provide information and planning services for
1734-653: A year after his death, the Detroit City Council led by Mayor Frank Couzens —James Couzens' son—voted to rename the portion of Northwestern Highway in Detroit, which then began at Wyoming Avenue and continued into Oakland County , after James Couzens. (The segment of Northwestern Highway in Oakland County was not renamed, however.) When the John C. Lodge Freeway was extended from its terminus at Wyoming Avenue northwesterly along
1836-741: Is a single-tier municipality in Southwestern Ontario , Canada. It is mostly rural, and its population centres are Chatham, Wallaceburg , Tilbury , Blenheim , Ridgetown , Wheatley and Dresden . The current Municipality of Chatham-Kent was created in 1998 by the amalgamation of Blenheim, Bothwell, Camden, the City of Chatham, the Township of Chatham, Dover, Dresden, Erie Beach, Erieau, Harwich, Highgate, Howard, Orford, Raleigh, Ridgetown, Romney, Thamesville, Tilbury East, Tilbury, Wallaceburg, Wheatley and Zone. The Chatham-Kent census division , which includes
1938-591: Is a museum of the Dawn Settlement, established in 1841 by Josiah Henson near Dresden as refuge for the many slaves who escaped to Canada from the United States. John Brown , the abolitionist, planned his raid on the Harpers Ferry Arsenal in Chatham and recruited local men to participate in the raid. He held in Chatham a Convention of Colored Men on May 8–10, 1858. The small village of North Buxton , part of
2040-545: Is also home to many historic buildings which are part of an annual ghost tour offered each year at Halloween. The participants go on a guided walk of downtown while the guide informs them of various ghost stories tied to the local buildings in which they pass. Chatham-Kent was a major part of the Underground Railroad and as such hosts the Buxton Homecoming each September. This celebrates the area's black culture and
2142-602: Is based in Chatham, promotes French-Canadian culture and language in the area. Knowledge of official language statistics: A breakdown of the total labour force in Chatham-Kent shows the leading industries ( NAICS ) are manufacturing, health care, and retail: At the outskirts of Chatham is the headquarters for Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited (a division of DuPont ), a major agricultural seed breeding and biotechnology company. GreenField Specialty Alcohols Inc.'s Commercial Alcohols division, Canada's largest ethanol plant and one of
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#17328488112822244-412: Is home to RM Auctions , a vintage automobile auction house, and RM Restorations, a vintage automobile restoration company. The nickname "The Classic Car Capital of Canada" comes from the abundance of classic car events in the community. Chatham is home to a major corporate office of Enbridge Gas Inc., a natural gas utility and Enbridge company. Other energy related companies include wind farms near
2346-608: Is home to the annual "Retrofest" organized by the Historic Downtown Chatham BIA, in partnership with the Kent Historic Auto Club. Hundreds of classic car enthusiasts travel to downtown Chatham to showcase their classic cars and vintage vehicles. Downtown Chatham is also home to the Chatham Capitol Theatre, a theatre that, when it opened in 1930, was the largest in the region. The theatre is run by
2448-491: Is no clear indication of when Kehoe had the idea of massacring the schoolchildren and townspeople, but Ellsworth, who was a neighbor, thought that he conceived his plan after being defeated in the 1926 clerk election. The consensus of the townspeople was that he had worked on his plan at least since the previous August. Bath School Board member M. W. Keyes was quoted by The New York Times : I have no doubt that he made his plans last Fall [ sic ] [1926] to blow up
2550-420: The 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Chatham-Kent had a population of 103,988 living in 44,028 of its 46,752 total private dwellings, a change of 2.3% from its 2016 population of 101,647 . With a land area of 2,451.9 km (946.7 sq mi), it had a population density of 42.4/km (109.8/sq mi) in 2021. 2006 census For all groups that comprise at least 1% of
2652-533: The African Canadian Heritage Tour , also played an important role in the Underground Railroad . By the 1850s, the city of Chatham was referred to as the " black mecca of Canada". A museum in the city, the Black Mecca Museum, still bears this name. Chatham was home to a number of black churches and business, with Black Canadians making up one-third of the city's population and controlling
2754-971: The American Revolution and the Gnadenhutten massacre , a group of Christian Munsee settled in what is now the Moraviantown reserve. In the War of 1812 , the Battle of the Thames took place between Moraviantown and Thamesville on October 5, 1813. During the 19th century, the area was the northern terminus of the Underground Railroad . As a result, Chatham-Kent is now part of the African-Canadian Heritage Tour. Josiah Henson Museum for African-Canadian History, formally known as Uncle Tom's Cabin Historic Site
2856-608: The Bath School massacre , was a series of violent attacks perpetrated by Andrew Kehoe upon the Bath Consolidated School in Bath Charter Township, Michigan , United States, on May 18, 1927. The attacks killed 38 children and 6 adults, and injured at least 58 other people. Prior to the explosions at the school, Kehoe had murdered his wife, Nellie Price Kehoe, and firebombed his farm. Arriving at
2958-715: The Chatham Voice, Wallaceburg Courier Press , the Blenheim News Tribune , Chatham-Kent This Week , Ridgetown Independent News , Tilbury Times , and the Wheatley Journal . The Chatham Daily News , Chatham-Kent This Week , and Wallaceburg Courier Press are all owned by Postmedia . The Chatham Daily News , Chatham-Kent This Week , Wallaceburg Courier Press , Chatham Voice and CKReview are daily online news media in Chatham-Kent with coverage of local news, sports, entertainment, and cultural events as well as
3060-523: The Ford Motor Company ; Alexander Malcomson was a major stakeholder in the company. The two were seeking additional stockholders; Couzens borrowed heavily and invested $ 2,500 in the new firm. Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903 with John S. Gray as president, Ford as vice-president, Malcomson as treasurer, and Couzens as secretary. Couzens took over the business management of the new firm for an annual salary of $ 2,400. In 1906, Gray died and Malcomson
3162-1000: The Lambton Kent District School Board (headquartered in both Chatham and Sarnia), the St. Clair Catholic District School Board (headquartered in Wallaceburg) and the Conseil scolaire catholique Providence (CSC Providence). The LKDSB is a public school board, and consists of 13 secondary and 53 elementary schools. Chatham-Kent Secondary School is the largest public high school in Lambton-Kent. The St. Clair Catholic board consists of two secondary schools (one in Chatham and one in Sarnia) and 26 elementary schools. There are also independent schools, such as Wallaceburg Christian School and Chatham Christian Schools—an elementary and secondary school in
James Couzens - Misplaced Pages Continue
3264-641: The Progressive Republicans , advocating acts such as high graduated income tax and public ownership of utilities. Couzens died in Detroit and is interred in Woodlawn Cemetery there. Couzens established the Children's Fund of Michigan with a $ 10,000,000 grant. He also gave $ 1,000,000 for relief in Detroit and began a fund to make loans to the physically handicapped. Under Dr Frank Norton, Dr Kenneth Richard Gibson and their secretary, Kathryn Hutchison,
3366-512: The 1927–1928 school year, was held in the community hall, township hall, and two retail buildings. Most of the surviving students returned. The board appointed O. M. Brant of Luther, Michigan , to succeed Huyck as superintendent. Lansing architect Warren Holmes donated construction plans, and the school board approved the contracts for a new building on September 14. On September 15, U.S. Senator James J. Couzens presented his personal check for $ 75,000 (equivalent to $ 1,315,517 in 2023) to
3468-518: The Bath Township school tax was $ 12.26 for every $ 1000 valuation of a property, with the valuation on Kehoe's farm being $ 10,000 (equivalent to $ 182,028 in 2023). In 1923 the school board raised the tax to $ 18.80 per thousand dollar valuation and in 1926 the taxes went up to $ 19.80. This meant that Kehoe's tax liability went from $ 122.60 in 1922 (equivalent to $ 2,232 in 2023) to $ 198.00 in 1926 (equivalent to $ 3,408 in 2023). In June 1926 Kehoe
3570-465: The Bath construction fund to help build the new school. The board demolished the damaged portion of the school and constructed a new wing with the donated funds. During the reconstruction dynamite was found in the building on three separate occasions. The James Couzens Agricultural School was dedicated on August 18, 1928. The Kehoe farm was completely plowed to ensure that no explosives were hidden in
3672-471: The Chatham-Kent Community as well as Sarnia/Lambton and Windsor/Essex. The ESC LHIN is located in the town of Chatham. Chatham-Kent is also served by stations coming from Windsor, London, Detroit , Toledo , and Cleveland . The Chatham Daily News is the only daily newspaper in Chatham-Kent. There are several weeklies located in Chatham and the various communities in the municipality, including
3774-489: The Chatham-Kent Fire Department upon amalgamation. The county also had separate police departments until 1998. The city of Chatham , as well as the towns of Wallaceburg, Dresden, and Tilbury , each had their own departments. The Chatham-Kent Police Service was formed on September 1, 1998. Many residents opposed amalgamation, as 18 city councillors boycotted the official vote, and the final decision to amalgamate
3876-689: The Chatham-Kent area was surrendered to the British as part of the 1790 McKee's Purchase, (named for Alexander McKee ) to provide land for settlers. McKee's Purchase was designated an Event of National Historic Significance in Canada in 1931. A historical plaque for the purchase is located in Blenheim Park in Blenheim. Indigenous persons remain resident in the area today at the Delaware Nation at Moraviantown and Walpole Island First Nation . European settlement of
3978-624: The Children's Fund, among other things, provided free health and dental work for indigent Detroit children. The Fund was set up with a 25-year life span, and the project ended in the mid-1950s. In response to the Bath School Disaster , in which Andrew Kehoe , an embittered school board member and treasurer, killed 38 children by blowing up explosives he had planted in the basement of the Bath Consolidated School in Bath Township, Michigan , Couzens gave $ 75,000 to fund rebuilding. The new school
4080-614: The Indian reserve of Moravian 47 is an enclave within the city and is part of the Chatham–Kent census agglomeration and census division. Chatham-Kent has a humid continental climate ( Köppen climate classification Dfa ), with cold, snowy winters and warm to hot, humid summers. A typical summer will feature heat waves with temperatures exceeding 30 °C (86 °F) often. Winters are cold, and feature occasional cold snaps bringing temperatures below −15 °C (5 °F), but also commonly include mild stretches of weather above freezing. In
4182-544: The Kehoe farm to investigate the fires there. State troopers had searched for Nellie Kehoe throughout Michigan, thinking that she was at a tuberculosis sanatorium , but her charred remains were found the day after the disaster, among the ruins of the farm. All the Kehoe farm buildings were destroyed. Kehoe's two horses had burned to death, trapped inside the barn. Their carcasses were found with their legs hobbled together with wire, preventing their escape or rescue. Investigators found
James Couzens - Misplaced Pages Continue
4284-606: The Municipality of Chatham-Kent and hosts shows and entertainers. Chatham was home to the Wheels Inn, a family resort for four decades until its closure in 2010. In 2011, the Chatham-Kent John D. Bradley Convention Centre was constructed on the site of the Wheels Inn. In July 2019, a new Cascades casino was opened in Chatham, close to the Convention Centre on Richmond Street. The Thames Art Gallery and ARTspace, located in
4386-592: The basement of the school's north wing which detonated the dynamite and pyrotol he had hidden there at about 8:45 a.m. Rescuers heading to the scene of the Kehoe farm fire heard the explosion at the school building and turned back in that direction. Parents within the rural community rushed to the school. The school building resembled a war zone, with 38 people killed in the initial explosion, mostly children. Eyewitnesses and survivors were interviewed afterwards by newspaper reporters. First-grade teacher Bernice Sterling told an Associated Press reporter that
4488-400: The board M. W. Keyes said that he "fought the expenditure of money for the most necessary equipment". Kehoe was considered difficult to work with, often voting against the rest of the board, wanting his own way and arguing with the township financial authorities. He protested that he paid too much in taxes and tried to get the valuation of his property reduced so he would pay less. In 1922,
4590-471: The chief of the Lansing Fire Department arrived, as did several Michigan State Police officers who managed traffic to and from the scene. Michigan Governor Fred W. Green arrived during the afternoon of the disaster and assisted in the relief work, carting bricks away from the scene. The Lawrence Baking Company of Lansing sent a truck filled with pies and sandwiches which were served to rescuers in
4692-516: The community, including asthma , chronic allergies , sinus problems , many types of cancer, diabetes , inflammatory bowel disease , alcoholism, and obesity . In October 2008, Chatham-Kent Health Alliance was named one of " Canada's Top 100 Employers " by Mediacorp Canada Inc., and was featured in Maclean's newsmagazine. Chatham-Kent features one of the 14 provincial Local Health Integration Networks (LHIN). The Erie St. Clair (ESC) LHIN services
4794-440: The coroner's inquest that he saw the two men grapple over some type of long gun before Kehoe detonated the explosives stored in his truck, immediately killing himself, Huyck, retired farmer Nelson McFarren, and Cleo Clayton, an 8-year-old second-grader. Clayton had survived the first blast and then wandered out of the school building; he was killed by shrapnel from the exploding vehicle. The truck explosion spread debris over
4896-467: The damage. He gathered lumber and other materials and put them in the tool shed which he later destroyed with an incendiary bomb. By the time of the bombing, Nellie Kehoe had become chronically ill with what resembled tuberculosis , for which there was no effective treatment or cure at the time. Her frequent hospital stays may have contributed to the family's debt. Kehoe had ceased making mortgage and homeowner's insurance payments months earlier. There
4998-472: The dead were buried. For a time following the tragedy the town and Kehoe's burned-out farm continued to attract curiosity seekers. Governor Green quickly called for donations to aid the townspeople and created the Bath Relief Fund with the money supplied by donors, the state, and local governments. People from around the country donated to the fund. School resumed on September 5, 1927, and, for
5100-406: The debris of the school, and nearly as many women were frantically pawing over the timber and broken bricks for traces of their children. I saw more than one woman lift clusters of bricks held together by mortar heavier than the average man could have handled without a crowbar. Ellsworth recounted: I saw one mother, Mrs. Eugene Hart, sitting on the bank a short distance from the school with
5202-553: The deceased. In a few weeks, US$ 5,284.15 (equivalent to $ 92,685 in 2023) was raised through donations, including $ 2,500 from the Clinton County Board of Supervisors and $ 2,000 from the Michigan Legislature . The disaster received nationwide coverage in the days following, sharing headlines with Charles Lindbergh 's trans-Atlantic crossing (though Lindbergh's crossing received much more attention) and eliciting
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#17328488112825304-654: The depression , he funded an alternative. He contributed $ 550,000 of his own personal money, combined with $ 300,000 from Oakland Housing, to create a managed low-income housing project called Westacres, in West Bloomfield, Michigan . The project gave the low-income factory working man a chance to own a home. The homes were located on 1 acre of land and the owners were required to farm the land to provide food for their families when seasonal layoffs took place. Asked how to say his name, he told The Literary Digest : "Pronounced exactly as cousins ." On November 9, 1937, just over
5406-410: The disaster it was reported that Michigan State Police investigators had discovered that a considerable amount of dynamite had been stolen from a bridge construction site and that Kehoe was suspected of the theft. Investigators also recovered a container of gasoline , rigged with a tube, in the school's basement; investigators speculated that Kehoe had planned that the gasoline fumes would ignite from
5508-763: The disaster that consolidated schools had great advantages over the smaller rural schools they replaced. All landowners within the township area had to pay higher ad valorem property taxes . At the time of the bombing, Bath Township had about 300 adult residents. Andrew Philip Kehoe was born in Tecumseh, Michigan , on February 1, 1872, into a family of thirteen children and attended the local high school. After graduating he studied electrical engineering at Michigan State College in East Lansing and moved to St. Louis , Missouri , where he worked as an electrician for several years. At some point during this period, Kehoe suffered
5610-404: The early 1920s the area was primarily agricultural. After years of debate, Bath Township voters approved the creation of a consolidated school district in 1922, along with an increase in township property taxes to pay for a new school. When the school opened, it had 236 students enrolled from grade 1 to grade 12 . The school's creation was controversial, but Monty Ellsworth wrote in his book about
5712-479: The entire school, and everyone in it. Bath Charter Township is a civil township located 10 miles (16 km) northeast of the city of Lansing in the U.S. state of Michigan . The township covers 31 square miles (80 km ) and the small unincorporated village of Bath is within its borders. The township itself lies within Clinton County, Michigan , an area of some 566 square miles (1,470 km ). In
5814-413: The era for excavation and burning debris. In November 1926 he drove to Lansing and bought two boxes of dynamite at a sporting goods store. Dynamite was also commonly used on farms, so his purchase of small amounts of explosives at different stores and on different dates did not raise any suspicions. Neighbors reported hearing explosions on the farm, with one calling him "the dynamite farmer". Following
5916-488: The explosion was like an earthquake: ...the air seemed to be full of children and flying desks and books. Children were tossed high in the air, some were catapulted out of the building Eyewitness Robert Gates said the scene was pure chaos at the school: Mother after mother came running into the school yard, and demanded information about her child and, on seeing the lifeless form lying on the lawn, sobbed and swooned ... In no time more than 100 men at work tearing away
6018-428: The fire began at the Kehoe farm, Kehoe warned him and three men to leave there, saying, "Boys, you are my friends, you better get out of here, you better go down to the school." Three telephone linemen working near Bath Township testified that Kehoe passed them in his truck on the road toward the school, and they saw him arrive there. His truck swerved and stopped in front of the building. In the next instant, according to
6120-478: The fire was oil-based and his action spread the flames more rapidly, which engulfed and immolated her body. The injuries were fatal and she died the next day. Some of Kehoe's later neighbors in Bath Township believed that he had caused the stove explosion. Kehoe married Ellen "Nellie" Price in 1912, at the age of 40. Seven years later they moved to a farm outside Bath Township. Kehoe was said to be dependable, doing favors and volunteer work for his neighbors. He
6222-467: The following day. The local community responded generously, as reported at the time by the Associated Press: "a sympathetic public assured the rehabilitation of the stricken community. Aid was tendered freely in the hope that the grief of those who lost loved ones might be even slightly mitigated." The Red Cross managed donations sent to pay for medical expenses of the survivors and the burial costs of
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#17328488112826324-591: The former City of Chatham. Other population centres in the municipality include Wallaceburg , Blenheim and Tilbury , Ridgetown and Dresden . The Lower Thames River runs through Chatham–Kent to Lake St. Clair in the west, while the Sydenham River flows through Wallaceburg and Dresden. The municipality has approximately 88 kilometres of shoreline along lake Erie and 24 kilometres along lake St. Clair. The Indian reserve of Bkejwanong (commonly referred to as Walpole Island) borders on Chatham–Kent, whereas
6426-517: The former city of Chatham area began with a naval dockyard in 1792, at the fork of the Thames River with McGregor's Creek. The town was named after William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham . It was built as a naval dockyard, a characteristic shared by Chatham, Kent , England. In England, the name Chatham came from the British root ceto and the Old English ham thus meaning a forest settlement. Following
6528-435: The ground and was sold at auction to pay the mortgage. The coroner arrived at the scene on the day of the disaster and swore in six community leaders that afternoon to serve as a jury investigating the death of Superintendent Huyck. Informal testimony had been taken on May 19 and the formal coroner's inquest started on May 23. The Clinton County prosecutor conducted the examination, and more than 50 people testified before
6630-535: The historic downtown, feature exhibitions showcasing local artists from the Chatham-Kent area, while also housing other Canadian and international works. Chatham-Kent is served by the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance. The Public General Hospital and St. Joseph Hospital in Chatham were moved to a single campus in 2004, while the former Sydenham District Hospital remains in Wallaceburg. The eastern portion of
6732-444: The house and throughout the farm buildings. At approximately 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday, May 18, Kehoe detonated the firebombs in his house and farm buildings, causing some debris to fly into a neighbor's poultry brooding house. Neighbors noticed the fire, and volunteers rushed to the scene. O. H. Bush and several other men crawled through a broken window of the farmhouse in search of survivors. When they found no one in
6834-457: The house, they salvaged what furniture they could before the fire spread into the living room. Bush discovered dynamite in the corner; he picked up an armful of explosives and handed it to one of the men. As Kehoe left the burning property in his Ford truck, he stopped to tell those fighting the fire that they should get to the school and then drove off. Classes at Bath Consolidated School began at 8:30 a.m. Kehoe had set an alarm clock in
6936-602: The independent Delaware Nation at Moraviantown First Nation, had a population of 104,316 in the 2021 census. The area of Chatham-Kent is part of the traditional territory of the Odawa , Potawatomi , Ojibwe and Wyandot First Nations of Canada. After the Treaty of Paris in 1763 ceded control of the area from the French to the British, it became part of the Territory of Quebec. The title to
7038-433: The jury. During his testimony, David Hart stated that Kehoe had told him that he had "killed a horse" and The New York Times reported people as saying that Kehoe had "an ungovernable temper" and "seemed to have a mania for killing things". Neighbors testified that he had been wiring the buildings at his farm about that time and that he was evasive about his reasons. Kehoe's neighbor Sidney J. Howell testified that after
7140-653: The municipality is served by the Four Counties Health Services in Newbury in nearby Middlesex County . Research published in 2002 by the Heart and Stroke Foundation cited Chatham-Kent as a hotspot for heart disease in Ontario. Further research is underway to determine the reasons for this and other hotspots. The Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit launched a campaign in fall 2007 to tackle other ailments prevalent throughout
7242-632: The population. Note that a person can report more than one ethnic origin. Although most of the population of Chatham-Kent is English-speaking, a few of its communities and Catholic parishes were settled by francophone (French-speaking) farmers in the mid-nineteenth century. These include Pain Court, Tilbury and Grande Pointe, where French is still spoken by a significant percentage of the population. These communities are designated French language service areas under Ontario's French Language Services Act . Approximately 8,500 residents of Chatham-Kent have French as
7344-415: The preceding year, and he had speculated that Kehoe was planning suicide . Kehoe had given him one of his horses about April 1927, but McMullen returned it for this reason. It was discovered later that Kehoe had cut all his wire fences as part of his preparations to destroy his farm, girdling young shade trees to kill them and cutting off his grapevine plants before putting them back on their stumps to hide
7446-492: The profile all too well". Carnegie Mellon University 's Dr. Mary Ellen O'Toole, head of CMU's Department of Forensic Science, has stated that Kehoe could be described as an "injustice collector", meaning someone who obsessively collects perceived slights along with their personal misfortunes, latching on to these feelings of persecution until the individual feels forced to lash out. Kehoe's neighbor A. McMullen noted that Kehoe had stopped working on his farm altogether for most of
7548-509: The roof". He volunteered to drive back to his farm and get a rope heavy enough to pull the school roof off the children's bodies. Returning to his farm, he saw Kehoe driving in the opposite direction, heading toward the school. "He grinned and waved his hand," Ellsworth said. "When he grinned, I could see both rows of his teeth". Kehoe drove up to the school about half an hour after the first explosion. He saw Superintendent Emory Huyck and summoned him over to his truck. Charles Rawson testified at
7650-520: The roots laid by early black settlers in the Buxton area. The Municipality of Chatham-Kent currently consists of the following communities, listed by the Townships of the former Kent County (pre-1998 amalgamation): At 2,458 square kilometres (949 sq mi), Chatham-Kent is the 9th largest municipality by area in Canada and the largest in southwestern Ontario. Over 44,000 of the 107,000 residents live in
7752-645: The route of James Couzens Highway–Northwestern Highway in the 1960s, the Lodge name was extended along the new freeway segment, while the freeway's service drives between Wyoming Avenue and Eight Mile Road (M-102) retained the James Couzens name. [REDACTED] This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress Chatham, Ontario Chatham-Kent ( 2021 population : 103,988)
7854-541: The same building. The French Catholic board, headquartered in Windsor , has its Chatham-Kent regional office in Pain Court and consists of four elementary schools and one high school. Chatham–Kent is the home of two colleges – St. Clair College and University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus, popularly known as Ridgetown College . Bath School Disaster Bolt-action rifle : The Bath School disaster , also known as
7956-482: The school ... He was an experienced electrician and the board employed him in November to make some repairs on the school lighting system. He had ample opportunity then to plant the explosives and lay the wires for touching it off. Kehoe had free access to the school building during the summer vacation of 1926. From mid-1926, he began buying more than a ton of pyrotol , an incendiary explosive used by farmers during
8058-459: The school, the township, and his house. Ida Hall, who lived in a house next to the school, saw activity around the building on different nights during May. Early one morning after midnight she saw a man carrying objects inside. She also saw vehicles around the building several times late at night. Hall mentioned these events to a relative but they were never reported to police. Nellie was discharged from Lansing's St. Lawrence Hospital on May 16, and
8160-415: The schoolyard in his shrapnel -filled truck and triggered a second explosion, killing himself and four others, as well as injuring bystanders. During the rescue and recovery efforts, searchers discovered a further 500 pounds (230 kg) of explosives under the south wing of the school that had been set to go off simultaneously with the initial explosion. Kehoe had apparently intended to destroy
8262-571: The shores of Lake Erie . The Canadian Federal government is one of the largest employers in the Chatham-Kent area with over 450 employees in several departments in the area. The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Disability Unit is housed in the Judy Lamarsh (see Notable Residents) Building in downtown Chatham. This federal office is the single largest disability processing centre in Canada, processing 50% of all CPP Disability benefits. The office also processes Old Age Security benefit claims. Chatham serves as
8364-499: The site of the school explosion, Kehoe died when he set off explosives concealed in his truck. Kehoe, the 55-year-old school board treasurer, was angered by increased taxes and his defeat in the April 5, 1926, election for township clerk . It was thought by locals that he planned his "murderous revenge" following this public defeat. Kehoe had a reputation for being difficult, on the school board and in personal dealings. In addition, he
8466-421: The south wing of the school. The search was halted to allow the state police to disarm the devices, and they found an alarm clock timed to go off at 8:45 a.m. Investigators speculated that the initial explosion may have caused a short circuit in the second set of bombs, preventing them from detonating. They searched the building and then returned to the recovery work. Police and fire officials gathered at
8568-553: The southern coast of Kent County. Before 1998, Kent County consisted of the townships of Camden , Chatham , Dover , Harwich , Howard , Orford , Raleigh , Romney , Tilbury East and Zone . In some of Canada's earliest post-Confederation censuses, some residences in Kent County were incorrectly reported as being in Bothwell "County" , which was a separate electoral district comprising parts of Kent and Lambton counties but not
8670-492: The testimony of Lieutenant Lyle Morse, a Michigan State Police investigator with the Department of Public Safety. Prior to the day of the disaster, Kehoe had loaded the back seat of his truck with metal debris capable of producing shrapnel during an explosion. He also bought a new set of tires for his truck to avoid breaking down when transporting the explosives. He made many trips to Lansing for more explosives, as well as to
8772-429: The thousands. Over 100,000 vehicles passed through on Saturday alone, an enormous amount of traffic for the area. Some residents regarded this as an unwarranted intrusion into their time of grief, but most accepted it as a show of sympathy and support from surrounding communities. Burials of individual victims started that Friday, two days after the disaster. Funerals and burials continued on Saturday and Sunday until all
8874-406: The town of Chatham had a population of about 1,500, with part of the town being called Chatham North. There were four churches, a theatre, a weekly newspaper and a cricket club. The road between London and Amherstburg was open, and transportation by stagecoach was available. A fast boat also provided transportation to Detroit and Buffalo. Chatham had many tradesman, a foundry, two banks, three schools,
8976-570: The township's community hall. The injured and dying were transported to Sparrow Hospital and St. Lawrence Hospital in Lansing. The construction of the St. Lawrence facility had been financed in large part by Lawrence Price, Nellie Kehoe's uncle and formerly an executive in charge of Oldsmobile 's Lansing Car Assembly . During the search for survivors and victims, rescuers found an additional 500 lb (230 kg) of dynamite which had failed to detonate in
9078-470: The unfortunate mothers and fathers, the strength to bear the great sorrow that has descent on them, we are near to you in spirit". Kehoe's body was claimed by one of his sisters and was buried in an unmarked grave in the pauper's section of Mount Rest Cemetery in St. Johns, Michigan . The Price family buried Nellie Price Kehoe in a Lansing cemetery under her maiden name. Vehicles from outlying areas and surrounding states descended upon Bath Township by
9180-990: The world's largest, opened in Chatham in 1996. The plant produces ethanol for industrial, medical, and beverage uses. There are a number of vineyards in the municipality. Chatham's roots in the automotive sector go back to Gray-Dort Motors Ltd. , one of Canada's earliest automobile manufacturers. In the 21st century, auto industry plants in the municipality include Autoliv Canada in Tilbury (airbags), Mahle in Tilbury (emissions controls and plastics), in Ridgetown (automotive electronic pedal assembly and sensors), Dana Canada in Chatham (heat shields for thermal and acoustic management of exhaust manifolds, catalytic converters, and turbochargers), and Vitesco Technologies (Powertrain Canada ULC) in Chatham (design, development, and testing of Actuators for clean, efficient vehicles). Chatham-Kent also
9282-402: The young man as a clerk in his coal business. Couzens worked for Malcomson from 1897 to 1903. In 1898, Couzens married Margaret Manning. The couple had six children: a son born in 1899 who died in infancy; Homer Couzens, born in 1900; Frank Couzens (later mayor of Detroit), born in 1902; Madeline, born in 1904; Margo, born in 1910, and Edith, born in 1911. In 1902, Henry Ford was organizing
9384-476: Was also described as being notoriously impatient with any disagreement; he had shot and killed a neighbor's dog that had come on his property and annoyed him by barking . He had also beaten one of his horses to death when it did not perform to his expectations. Kehoe had a reputation for frugality , and was elected in 1924 as a trustee on the school board for three years and treasurer for one year. He argued strongly for lower taxes, and later superintendent of
9486-549: Was also where the Hyslop and Ronald steam fire engine manufacturer was located; the factory would be taken over by Chatham Motor Car. In addition, it hosted meat packer O'Keefe and Drew . The Hawaiian pizza is claimed to have been invented in Chatham in 1962 at the Satellite Restaurant by Sam Panopoulos . In the U.S., former Ohio Governor Jim Rhodes proposed building a bridge across Lake Erie linking Cleveland to
9588-728: Was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1936 , the loss generally attributed to Couzens's support for Roosevelt's New Deal programs. He was chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Civil Service in the Sixty-ninth Congress , the U.S. Senate Committee on Education and Labor in the Sixty-ninth and Seventieth Congresses , the U.S. Senate Committee on Interstate Commerce in the Seventy-first and Seventy-second Congresses . Couzens' actions in Congress generally followed those of
9690-522: Was appointed in 1925 as temporary town clerk , but he was defeated in the April 5, 1926, election for that office. This public rejection by the community angered him. Ellsworth speculated that this defeat triggered Kehoe's desire for "murderous revenge", using the bombings to destroy the Bath Consolidated School and kill the community's children and many of its members. In Bath Massacre - America's First School Bombing , Arnie Bernstein cites Robert D. Hare 's Psychopathy Checklist and says that Kehoe "fits
9792-684: Was dedicated as the "James Couzens Agricultural School". He donated $ 600,000 to the University of Michigan for the building of a residence hall for female nursing students. It was to be named Couzens Hall in his honor, but at his request, the Board of Trustees named the new home McLaughlin Hall in honor of Emily A. McLaughlin, Principal of the Farrand Training School. In the 1930s, Couzens donated $ 1 million to Children's Hospital of Michigan , in response to
9894-424: Was eased out of the business, and Couzens became vice president and general manager of the company. The company made both Ford and Couzens wealthy, due in no small part to Couzens's business acumen. However, the two men gradually grew apart, and in 1915 Couzens resigned his position as general manager, although he retained a seat on the board. In 1919, Ford purchased Couzens's shares in the company for $ 30,000,000. He
9996-569: Was imposed on the County by a provincial commissioner. In a study on amalgamations in Ontario from 2003, 48% of respondents in Chatham-Kent felt the value they received as taxpayers became worse after amalgamation, and 64% of respondents still did not think of the community as "the Municipality of Chatham-Kent." Chatham-Kent has many historic festivals throughout the year, such as the Battle of Longwoods reenactment, which takes place on Labour Day weekend at Fairfield Museum on Longwoods Road. Chatham Kent
10098-573: Was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2012. James Couzens was president of the Bank of Detroit and director of the Detroit Trust Company. He was commissioner of street railways 1913-1915 and commissioner of the metropolitan police department 1916–1918. He was mayor of Detroit 1919–1922. As mayor, Couzens installed municipal street railways. Couzens was appointed November 29, 1922, as
10200-445: Was murdered by her husband some time between her release and the bombings two days later. Kehoe put her body in a wheelbarrow at the rear of the farm's chicken coop, where it was found in a heavily charred condition after the farm explosions and fire. Piled around the cart were silverware and a metal cash box. The ashes of several banknotes could be seen through a slit in the cash box. Kehoe placed and wired homemade pyrotol firebombs in
10302-465: Was notified in June 1926 that his mortgage was going to be foreclosed . For much of the next year, Kehoe purchased explosives and secretly hid them on his property and under the school. On the day of the disaster, Kehoe set off explosions at his farmstead and at the Bath Consolidated School, destroying his farm and ripping through the north wing of the school. As rescue efforts began, Kehoe drove up to
10404-498: Was notified that the widow of his wife's uncle, who held the mortgage on his property, had begun foreclosure proceedings. Following the disaster, the local sheriff who had served the foreclosure notice reported that Kehoe had muttered, "If it hadn't been for that $ 300 school tax I might have paid off this mortgage". Mrs. Price, the mortgage holder, also reported that Kehoe had stated, "If I can't live in that house, no one else will", when she had mentioned foreclosure to him. Kehoe
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