Governor Andrew Parsons

Andrew Parsons was born on July 22, 1817 in New York and came to Corunna in 1836. He became an attorney and served as State Senator from 1847 to 1848.

Andrew served as Acting Governor of Michigan March 1853 to 1854, finishing the term of Robert McClelland who was named to President Franklin Pierce's cabinet. Andrew was a Democrat. He died on June 6, 1855 at the age of 37 years.

If Andrew Parsons, of Corunna had been faithful to the City of Owosso, in his official capacity as State Senator, Owosso today would be the Capitol of Michigan. Did Parsons betrayed his own district?

Although Michigan did not become one of the United States until 1837, the State had two years previously established a government with its seat at Detroit until 1847.

When the time came to select the capitol of the State, Senator Parsons pleaded illness and did not vote. Owosso, proposed capitol, lost by one vote. After the poll a man by the name of Seymore who owned a small part of wooded land where Lansing is now situated, caused the motion to be made that the capitol be located somewhere "in the township of Lansing." The township was nothing but wilderness. The measure, however, carried in both houses, the legisators thinking the proposal was more a joke than anything serious. It proved to be no joke, but a careful scheme of Seymore and Parsons.

Both men rushed to the Commissioner of the Land Office, at Marshall, to buy very cheaply the land which the State was soon to seek for its capitol. A messenger went immediately to Marshall, dispatched by the governor, arrived only in time to prevent the plot from succeeding.

Parsons was elected senator in 1846. Everything in politics in the early days was Democratic and nomination was equal to election.

A.L. Williams had saved the county $16,000 while county treasurer from 1844 until 1846 and this record resulted in the senatorial nomination being offered to him. Believing that no action would be taken on the capitol question for another ten years and also because he had aversion to any kind of office holding. Mr. Williams preferred to continue as the countys treasurer and gave the senate position to Mr. Parsons.

The Williams brothers had purchased land in the Owosso area believing that it probably would become the State's capitol. Their holdings were on the line of the Michigan Northern Railroad, one of three lines established under the General Improvement Act. This fact, together with Owossos geographical location 87 miles from Michigans southern boundary, 84 miles from the north line of Bay County, 90 miles from Port Huron and 108 miles from Grand Haven - made it a very central point of Michigan and favorably regarded as a future location of the State Capitol.

If Owosso had become the Capitol of Michigan, Shiawassee County would certainly be a different place today.

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Shiawassee County History