Paul Hillegonds
Paul C. Hillegonds (born March 4, 1949) was a Republican member of the Michigan House of Representatives. He served as co-speaker with Democrat Curtis Hertel from 1993 until 1994.
The Honorable Paul C. Hillegonds | |
|---|---|
| 65th Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives | |
| In office January 13, 1993 – December 30, 1996 Serving with Curtis Hertel (1993–1994) | |
| Preceded by | Lew Dodak |
| Succeeded by | Curtis Hertel |
| Member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 88th district 54th District (1979–1992) | |
| In office January 1, 1979 – December 31, 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Edgar Fredricks |
| Succeeded by | Patricia L. Birkholz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 4, 1949 Holland, Michigan |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan (B.A.) Thomas Cooley Law School |
Hillegonds received his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and a law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
Hillegonds was first elected to the state house in 1978, beginning his service in 1979. He previously had been a legislative aid and campaign chairman for U.S. Representative Philip Ruppe.[1] He was the leader of the Republicans in the house beginning in 1987. He served as speaker of the house from 1995-1996, after having been co-speaker for one term.[2]
In 1997 Hillegonds left the legislature to become president of Detroit Renaissance. He remained in this position for nine years. In 2006 he was a co-leader of 'One United Michigan the main group opposed to the end of affirmative action on the ballot at the time.[3]
Hillegonds now works as the director of government relations for DTE Energy.[4]
In early 2013 Hillegonds was appointed director of the newly formed Southeast Michigan Regional Transit Authority.[5]
Origin of the name Hillegonds
The name Hillegonds is originally Dutch.[6] It is a matronymic and stands for "the child of Hillegond", a variant of the name Hildegonde. The family name probably does not occur any more in The Netherlands.[7]
Sources
- Daniel Loepp. Sharing the Balance of Power: An Examinnation of Shared Power in the Michigan House of Representatives, 1993-94. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1999.
- Forbes bio of Hillegonds
Notes
- ^ Public Sector Consultants bio of Hillegonds
- ^ Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce bio of Hillegonds Archived 2013-02-15 at archive.today
- ^ Model D article on Hillegonds
- ^ Motor Cities bio of Hillegonds
- ^ Detroit Free Press Jan. 17, 2013
- ^ "Hillegonds - Ancestry.com". search.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2017-06-26.
- ^ "No persons found of this family name in Phonedirectory of the Netherlands". Telefoonboek.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2017-06-26.