Harry S. Toy (1892 – September 9, 1955) was an American politician, prosecutor, and judge.

Harry S. Toy
Toy in 1937
19th Commissioner of the Detroit Police Department
In office
January 1, 1948 – January 2, 1950
Preceded byJohn F. Ballenger
Succeeded byGeorge F. Boos
Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court
In office
1935–1937
Preceded byNelson Sharpe
Succeeded byBert D. Chandler
Michigan Attorney General
In office
1935
Preceded byPatrick H. O'Brien
Succeeded byDavid H. Crowley
Wayne County Prosecutor
In office
1930–1935
Personal details
Born1892
Died1955 (age 63)
Political partyRepublican
OccupationPolitician, prosecutor, judge

He served as Wayne County prosecutor (1930–1935), Michigan attorney general (1935), and a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court (1935–1937).

In November 1936, Toy, a Republican, was defeated for reelection to the Michigan Supreme Court by Democrat Bert D. Chandler, by a vote of 862,147 to 755,227.[1] Toy later served as the commissioner of the Detroit Police Department from 1948 through 1950.[2][3]

Both as a prosecutor and as police commissioner, Toy subscribed to McCarthyism and sought to root out and destroy communism, which Toy blamed for labor activism and various societal ills.[4]

Toy planned to run for Governor of Michigan,[3] but died of a heart attack at age 63 in Detroit.[5][6][7]

References edit

  1. ^ "Official Count of State Votes Now Complete", Traverse City Record-Eagle (December 1, 1936), p. 14.
  2. ^ "Detroit Police Commissioners". Detroit Public Library, Detroit, MI. Archived from the original on 17 August 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  3. ^ a b Karen Dybis, Witch of Delray, The: Rose Veres & Detroit’s Infamous 1930s Murder Mystery (2017), p. 120.
  4. ^ Shelton Stromquist, Labor's Cold War: Local Politics in a Global Context (2008), p. 127.
  5. ^ "Harry Toy Dies of Heart Ailment". Detroit Free Press. September 10, 1955. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Presentation Of The Portrait Of The Honorable Harry S. Toy, Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society.
  7. ^ Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society biography of Harry Toy.
Legal offices
Preceded by
Patrick H. O’Brien
Michigan Attorney General
1935
Succeeded by
Preceded by Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court
1935–1937
Succeeded by