The Adjutant General of Michigan is the senior military official of the Michigan National Guard and serves as the principal military advisor to the Governor of Michigan. The Adjutant General also serves as the Director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA). In this dual role, the official oversees the administration, training, readiness, and mobilization of the Michigan Army National Guard and the Michigan Air National Guard.[1]
| Adjutant General of Michigan of the Michigan National Guard | |
|---|---|
since January 2019 | |
| Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs | |
| Reports to | Governor of Michigan |
| Seat | Lansing, Michigan |
| Appointer | Governor of Michigan |
| Term length | Four years |
| Formation | May 11, 1820 (Territorial); 1844 (State) |
| Website | www |
History
editTerritorial period (1820–1837)
editThe office was first established by the Territorial Militia Act of May 11, 1820. This act authorized the Governor to appoint an Adjutant General to maintain muster rolls and report the status of the militia to the President of the United States.[2]
Early statehood and restructuring (1838–1846)
editFollowing Michigan's transition to statehood, a legislative resolution on March 22, 1838, authorized the printing of the state's militia laws. At this time, the Adjutant General was designated as a staff officer with the rank of Colonel, primarily responsible for the "adjutant general's department" and the distribution of military forms and returns.[3]
The office underwent a significant formalization under Act No. 70 of 1844. This act required the Adjutant General to be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of both houses of the Legislature. The act also elevated the rank of the office to Brigadier General.[4]
This structure was codified in the Revised Statutes of 1846, which established a fixed two-year term of office and set the annual salary at $300.[5]
Civil War significance
editDuring the American Civil War, the office grew in strategic importance. Adjutant General John Robertson served as a key advisor to Governor Austin Blair, coordinating the mobilization of volunteer regiments and managing the state's military quotas. Under Robertson's leadership, the department produced Michigan in the War, a comprehensive record of the state's military service.[6]
List of Adjutants General
editThe following is a list of individuals who have served as the Adjutant General of the Michigan Territory and the State of Michigan.[7]
| Name | Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| James May | 1800–1806 | Territorial |
| George McDougall | 1806–1818 | Territorial |
| John R. Williams | 1818–1829 | Territorial; first Mayor of Detroit |
| DeGarmo Jones | 1829 | Territorial |
| Walter L. Berry | 1829–1831 | Territorial |
| John E. Schwarz | 1831–1838 | First State Adjutant General |
| Isaac Rowland | 1839–1842 | |
| Elijah Roberts | 1842–1844 | |
| John E. Schwarz | 1844–1855 | Second Term |
| Frederick W. Curtenius | 1855–1861 | |
| John Robertson | 1861–1887 | Longest serving; mobilized Michigan during the American Civil War |
| Daniel B. Ainger | 1887–1891 | |
| Judson A. Farrar | 1891–1893 | |
| Charles Eaton | 1893–1895 | |
| William S. Green | 1895–1897 | Civil War veteran and Detroit banker |
| Edwin M. Irish | 1897–1898 | |
| Fred H. Case | 1898–1901 | |
| George H. Brown | 1901–1905 | |
| William T. McGurrin | 1905–1911 | |
| James N. Cox | 1911–1912 | |
| Roy C. Vandercook | 1912–1915 | |
| John S. Bersey | 1915–1940 | |
| Egbert M. Rosecrans | 1940–1943 | |
| LeRoy Pearson | 1943–1948 | |
| George C. Moran | 1948–1959 | |
| Ronald D. McDonald | 1959–1965 | |
| Clarence C. Schnipke | 1965–1974 | |
| John A. Johnston | 1974–1983 | |
| Vernon J. Andrews | 1983–1991 | |
| E. Gordon Stump | 1991–2003 | |
| Thomas G. Cutler | 2003–2011 | |
| Gregory J. Vadnais | 2011–2019 | |
| Paul D. Rogers | 2019–Present | Incumbent |
References
edit- ↑ Michigan Military Act (Act 150 of 1967) (MCL 32.700). Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ↑ Laws of the Territory of Michigan, Volume II. W.S. George & Co. 1874. p. 166.
- ↑ Militia laws of the state of Michigan: Printed pursuant to a resolution of March 22, 1838. State of Michigan. 1838. pp. Section 9–10 – via HathiTrust.
- ↑ Acts of the Legislature of the State of Michigan Passed at the Annual Session of 1844. Detroit: Bagg & Harmon. 1844. pp. 98–100.
- ↑ "Title III, Chapter 13". The Revised Statutes of the State of Michigan, Passed and Approved May 18, 1846. Sanford & Howell. 1846. pp. 61–62.
- ↑ Dunbar, Willis F.; May, George S. (1995). Michigan: A History of the Wolverine State. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. pp. 374, 768. ISBN 978-0802870551.
- ↑ "Michigan Adjutants General". Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
Further reading
edit- Robertson, John (1882). Michigan in the War. W.S. George & Co.
- Bingham, Stephen D. (1888). Early History of Michigan: With Biographies of State Officers. Thorp & Godfrey.