The Joint Archives Quarterly

With our area’s heavy Republican voting record, I thought it would be informative to highlight a member of the area’s Democratic Party that served as our representative to the U.S. Congress.

Edwin Forrest Sweet was born in Dansville, Livingston County, New York, on November 21, 1847. After attending local schools and a seminary, he continued on to earn a degree from the literary department of Yale University in 1871 and a law degree from the University of Michigan in 1874. After he was admitted to the bar, Sweet quickly set up a law practice in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After some time, he began his political career with a seat on the Board of Education (1899-1906) followed by one term as mayor (1904-1906). There he refused to bestow political appointments to his supporters solely on his position in the Democratic Party, but instead sought and gained support for non-partisan politics at the local level. This would be his undoing as a bitter political fight emerged during the next mayoral campaign, in which he was defeated.

Sweet's next political position came with a close victory, with the slogan “Let the People Rule,” over two-term incumbent Republican and former mayor of Holland, Gerrit J. Diekema, for the 5th U.S. Congressional District seat in November, 1910. This was probably due to his following in Kent County and Grand Rapids, then part of the 5th district (Kent, Ionia, and Ottawa counties) and splintering in the Republican Party due to the Progressive Movement. He held this position from 1911-1913, after which he was appointed Assistant Secretary of Commerce in the Wilson presidential cabinet. Sweet remained in that post until his resignation in 1916 to accept the nomination for governor of Michigan on the Democratic ticket. After being defeated for that position he returned to his former post with Wilson's administration.

Later political endeavors included an unsuccessful bid for the 1916 Michigan gubernatorial race, Grand Rapids board of education member (1923-1926), and an appointed seat on Grand Rapids City Commission from 1926 to his resignation in 1928.

Sweet retired to Ojai, California, where he later died on April 2, 1935. His body was returned to Grand Rapids’ Oakhill Cemetery for burial.

Geoffrey D. Reynolds