John J. Bagley

Biography

John J. Bagley was born near Detroit in 1832 and earned a reputation for hard work while building a successful wholesale and retail trade in Michigan, later branching into banking and civic leadership as the state grew around him.

During his tenure as governor from 1873 to 1877 he championed temperance, reorganized public institutions, and strengthened the state board of health, leaving behind a legacy of reform-minded stewardship before his death in 1881.