By EMMIE MAY

Marquette Regional

History Center

Special to the Journal

NEGAUNEE — Did you know Negaunee seceded from Marquette County soon after the Civil War and established a county of its own? Since the Civil War required large quantities of iron from the mines of the Upper Peninsula, the once small settlement of Negaunee grew larger, and consequently demanded a share of the power that Marquette held within Marquette County.

However, after failing to secure the county seat, the people of Negaunee Township passed a bill creating Washington County on February 15, 1867. This new entity claimed west Marquette County, and portions of what would become Baraga, Iron, and Dickinson Counties, easily becoming one of the largest counties in the Upper Peninsula.

An election held in early April 1867 appointed several men to positions in the Washington County government, a few of them being Sheriff Charles Crowley, County Clerk John Mulvey, and Treasurer James Mathews. Around the same time, the newly elected officers of Negaunee Township, William P. Healy, and Nicholas Laughlin, took their oaths to “faithfully discharge the duties of such office,” which were notarized by Mulvey, the former probate judge of Marquette County. At the meeting of the Negaunee Township Board on April 12, Washington County was permitted to use the Township Hall as a courthouse until the new year, as they were still in the early stages of their organization.

Though the new county made steady progress, it was not without complaint from citizens loyal to Marquette County. Since the formation of the new county meant the residence of the current Marquette County Treasurer was no longer in the proper jurisdiction, his office was declared vacant. The vacancy was quickly filled by Marquette County resident Matthew H. Maynard, but legal action was initiated to determine the validity of his presence.

In People vs. Maynard, heard in Detroit by Michigan’s Supreme Court on May 16, 1867, the People held that Washington County was invalid, and, in effect, held that Maynard had usurped the Marquette County Treasurer’s office. The suit took a week of deliberation, but on May 25, the court upheld the People’s case. The ruling also found that Washington County had deprived many people of the right to vote, as it lacked the organization for doing so. In addition, Washington County had only one township, and the law required at least two. Though the organization of the county itself was not illegal, the government was not functional enough.

Shortly after the Michigan Supreme Court ruling, Mining and Manufacturing News, a Negaunee newspaper wrote, “[Washington County] has ceased to exist, and the good people of Negaunee find themselves once more a part and parcel of the old county of Marquette…we most sincere [sic] hope that there may hereafter never exist anything more bitter than a friendly spirit of rivalry between the two towns of Negaunee and Marquette.”

Peace was not immediately restored between the two communities, as some Marquette residents sought justice for Negaunee’s secession. For the first time in ten years, a grand jury in Marquette County was empaneled to investigate the officers of Negaunee Township. The township officers, Healy and Laughlin were subpoenaed to bring the township’s records before the jury, which they failed to do. The consequence of their refusal to produce the documents was twenty days in jail and a $100 fine. The men were also charged with having registered illegal voters.

On June 15, 1867, Mining and Manufacturing News published an open letter from Healy that claimed the grand jury was composed of men who had “continually condemned him, both in

personal and political spheres.” As a result, a special committee found that the charges brought against Healy and Laughlin were unjust and their hearing was moved to Houghton County. They were both cleared of the charges and returned to their positions in Negaunee Township government where they remained for several years.

Relations between the people of Negaunee and Marquette eventually grew amicable once again, and their separation was largely forgotten. Washington County existed just three months before its disintegration.