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Couzens Hall Exterior, April 5, 2023, by Grant Moorhead.
A Century on the Hill
A Century on the Hill
By Grant Moorhead
James Couzens, namesake of the University of Michigan's Hill-area dorm Couzens Hall, wielded tremendous financial and political power in Michigan during the early twentieth century. He served as Mayor of Detroit, a United States Senator, and was instrumental in founding the Ford Motor Company (Detroit Historical Society). Alongside his successful career in politics and business, he was also very philanthropic. One of his charitable endeavors still visible on the University of Michigan campus, nearly 100 years later, is Couzens Hall.
In the early 1920s, James Couzens donated $600,000 to the University to fund the construction of an all-female nursing student dormitory, according to the Bentley Historical Library. Now, however, its a mixed-gender residence hall, home to more than 500 students across majors. Included in those numbers are students in the Health Sciences Scholars Program for pre-medical field students and the First Gen Theme Community for first-generation college students, according to Michigan Housing. Built-in 1925, Couzens Hall is the oldest dormitory in what is now known as the “Hill Neighborhood” of the University of Michigan Ann Arbor campus (“A Chronology"). Albert Khan, a famed architect in the Metro-Detroit area during this time, was the architect of the building, and the facade he designed still frames the building, according to Bentley Historical Library records. Since its initial construction, the building has undergone multiple renovations to double the occupancy of the building and to modernize the interior.
James Couzens was born in Chatham, Ontario, Canada, in 1890 but moved to Detroit, Michigan, after finishing college. He initially worked in the railroad and coal industries but soon became involved in the formation of the Ford Motor Company, being one of the initial shareholders in the company (Detroit Historical Society). Couzens went on to take a key leadership position in the company. “In those early years the Ford Motor Company under Couzens direction opened a new factory in Detroit on Piquette Avenue, expanded the product line, increased production, added suppliers and established a dealer network all under the watchful eye of the tough, austere, headstrong, and sometimes cranky, James Couzens” (Ferens). Unfortunately, Couzens eventually had a fallout with Henry Ford, causing him to leave the company and sell his shares in Ford worth around $30 million ("James J. Couzens").
Portrait of James Couzens. Photo courtesy Detroit Public Library
Couzens pursued success in politics and philanthropy following his business success. In 1919, he was elected mayor of Detroit and was a United States Senator from Michigan from 1922 until he died in 1936 (Detroit Historical Society). Besides his contribution to the University of Michigan, Couzens’ largest philanthropic mission was the Children’s Fund of Michigan, which he started with a $10 million donation. The fund was active for 25 years and provided extensive healthcare assistance to the underprivileged youth of Detroit ("Children's Fund").
The success of a single man is easy to understand when their name traces back to James the Great, one of Jesus’ twelve apostles. James was also the first name of six American presidents and countless European kings. According to Behindthename.com, the name James means strong, classic, and upper-class, which James Couzens exemplified in his lifetime. It is with this strength that his name represents that he approached the world of philanthropy.
James Couzens was a man who profoundly impacted the Metro-Detroit community and the world. His leadership in the Ford Motor Company directly led to the democratization of automobiles to people across the country and provided numerous people with high-quality jobs. In addition, he played an integral role in the politics of Michigan, as he served as the Mayor of Detroit and a United States Senator. Alongside these accomplishments, he is also remembered for his philanthropic contributions across Michigan, one of which lies here in Ann Arbor, Couzens Hall.
Works Cited
“A Chronology of University of Michigan Buildings, 1840-1999." Bentley Historical Library: University of Michigan.” A Historical Tour of the University of Michigan Campus, https://bentley.umich.edu/legacy-support/campus_tour/chronology.php.
Campbell, Mike. “Meaning, Origin and History of the Name James.” Behind the Name, https://www.behindthename.com/name/james.
“Children's Fund of Michigan, Records, 1929-1965, (Majority of Material Found within 1929-1961).” University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library - University of Michigan Finding Aids, https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-85963.
“Couzens Hall." Bentley Historical Library: University of Michigan. A Historical Tour of the University of Michigan Campus, https://bentley.umich.edu/legacy-support/campus_tour/couzens.php.
“Couzens Hall.” Michigan Housing, https://housing.umich.edu/residence-hall/couzens-hall/.
Detroit Historical Society. “Couzens, James." Encyclopedia of Detroit. https://detroithistorical.org/learn/encyclopedia-of-detroit/couzens-james.
Ferens, Wayne. “James J. Couzens: An Extraordinary Man.” MotorCities, 4 Jan. 2017, https://www.motorcities.org/story-of-the-week/2017/james-j-couzens-an-extraordinary-man.
"James J. Couzens." Automotive Hall of Fame. 2012. https://www.automotivehalloffame.org/honoree/james-j-couzens/. Accessed 25 April 2023.
Moorhead, Grant. Exterior photograph of UM’s Couzens Hall. 5 Apr. 2023. Author’s personal collection.
“Portrait of James Couzens,” Detroit Public Library Digital Collections, https://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A145451.
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