 |
Clark Durant | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | May 13, 1949 |
| Occupation(s) | Educator Attorney |
| Political party | Republican Party |
Wiliam Clark Durant III [1] (born May 13, 1949) is an American businessman who is the co-founder and former CEO of the Cornerstone Schools, a group of charter and independent schools in the inner city of Detroit. Durant was a Republican politician in the state of Michigan, and was a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2012. [2]
Durant was born in Detroit, Michigan. He attended Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and graduated in 1971 with an economics major. Durant was in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps and graduated as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Transportation Corps. He served 3 months of active duty at Fort Eustis, Virginia in 1971, then went into the Reserves and was honorably discharged as a captain. He received a J.D. from Notre Dame Law School in 1976. Durant was admitted to the Michigan bar in 1976.
After leaving the military in 1971, Durant served as the assistant to the president of Hillsdale College and then as a vice president of the college in 1972–1973. Durant co-founded and started Imprimis, a monthly speech digest with a 2010 circulation over 2 million, described by Salon.com as "the most influential conservative publication you've never heard of". [3] [4] [5] He also served as the first director of Hillsdale's Center for Constructive Alternatives and established the Washington-Hillsdale Intern Program (WHIP). [6] While at Notre Dame Law School, Durant taught a Great Books undergraduate course at Notre Dame.
In 1991, Durant was one of the co-founders of the Cornerstone Schools (Michigan) with Adam Cardinal Maida. [7] The Cornerstone Schools were founded as independent schools in the inner city of Detroit. Durant served as chairman of the board from 1991 to 2003, and CEO from 2003 to 2009. In 2009, he helped establish Cornerstone charter schools to increase public access to a Cornerstone education in Detroit.
In 1994, Durant was elected to the State Board of Education in Michigan, and served as president of the board. [8] In 1995, the board passed a bold mission statement with a 7–1 vote, but which also drew criticism for using religious language, some drawn directly from the Michigan Constitution and Northwest Ordinance. [9] Durant stepped down four years later, in 1999, to focus on education in Detroit through the Cornerstone Schools. [10]
In 1995, Durant was named a Michiganian of the Year by the Detroit News for his work in education. [11]
In 2004, Durant created, and with Arnold Palmer co-hosted The Turning Point Invitational golf tournament, which commemorated the 50th anniversary of Palmer's 1954 victory of the U.S. Amateur at Country Club of Detroit. 26 other past winners of the U.S. Amateurs attended. [12] The event raised over $6 million in revenue, with proceeds benefiting the Cornerstone Schools and other charities, making it one of the most successful charity golf events ever. [13] [14] Palmer described the event as "the most incredible event I have ever been involved with in more than 60 years of golf, and I have been involved in a lot of them over the years." [15]
Since 2005, the Detroit Tigers have sponsored Be A Tiger For Kids, a charity event that has raised over $2 million for the Cornerstone Schools. [16]
Durant has been a member of various educational boards and organizations throughout Michigan. Former and current positions include:
After attending law school at Notre Dame and working at Hillsdale College, Durant spent the first six years of his legal career defending low income people who could not afford a lawyer in a variety of civil and criminal matters.
In 1983, Durant was appointed by then Secretary of Transportation Elizabeth Dole as the bankruptcy trustee for the Ann Arbor Railroad, a state-owned, state-subsidized railroad with approximately $100 million in debt and claims. He served as trustee from 1983 to 1988, turning the railroad into a profitable private-sector enterprise. [20] [21]
In 1984, Durant was nominated by President Ronald Reagan and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the board of the Legal Services Corporation. He served as chair from 1984 to 1988. [22] [23]
From 1997 to 2001, Durant was director of the Private Management Group at Munder Capital Management, an investment firm in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
Durant has been a member of the board of Michigan Chamber of Commerce.
Durant represented Michigan on the 1984 Republican National Committee Platform Committee where he helped draft the party platform on which President Reagan ran for and won his landslide re-election. [24]
From 1986 to 1988, Durant served as one of four national co-chairs of Jack Kemp's presidential campaign. [25]
In 1990, Durant ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, losing to former attorney general of Michigan, Bill Schuette. [26]
At the request of Governor John Engler, Durant ran for the Michigan Supreme Court, and later the State Board of Education. [27]
Durant ran for the United States Senate in the 2012 Republican primary. General Motors adviser Bob Lutz served as the Republican U.S. Senate candidate's general finance chairman. [28] Durant lost the Republican nomination to former representative Pete Hoekstra. [29]
Durant was officially accepted into the Association of Churchill Fellows for 2018 during the organization's weekend activity at the Westminster College campus. This honor society was founded in 1969. [30] Cornerstone Schools revealed it will shut down the Leadership and Business Private High School after school year 2017 – 2018. 62 students enrolled in the academic program at E. Nevada, Detroit (Michigan) will transfer to the Health + Technology High School and other Cornerstone schools in that city. Cornerstone has been publicized nationwide for distinction in education as well as accelerated academics. [31]
Hillsdale College is a private, conservative, Christian liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan. It was founded in 1844 by members of the Free Will Baptists. Hillsdale's required core curriculum includes courses on the Great Books, the U.S. Constitution, biology, chemistry, and physics.
Wayne State University is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 24,000 graduate and undergraduate students. Wayne State University, along with the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, compose the University Research Corridor of Michigan. Wayne State is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".
Jennifer Mulhern Granholm is a Canadian-American politician. Since 2021, she has served as the 16th United States secretary of energy. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the attorney general of Michigan from 1999 to 2003 and as the 47th governor of Michigan from 2003 to 2011, as the first woman to hold both offices.
Thomas Witherell Palmer was a U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan. He is considered to be one of the most significant figures in the history of Detroit, Michigan.
John D. Cherry Jr. is an American politician who served as the 62nd lieutenant governor of Michigan from 2003 to 2011. A Democrat, Cherry also served as a gubernatorial appointee to the Midwestern Higher Education Compact, and was the immediate past chair of the international Great Lakes Commission.
Ruth Johnson is an American businesswoman and politician currently serving as a member of the Michigan Senate since 2019. She was the 42nd Secretary of State of Michigan from 2011 to 2019 and a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1999 to 2005. She is a Republican.
Samuel C. Mumford High School is a public high school located on the near-northwest side of Detroit, Michigan. It was operated by the Detroit Public Schools, and had been operated by the Education Achievement Authority of Michigan (EAA). DPS re-assumed control of Mumford High in fall 2017.
Mark Hamilton Schauer is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative for Michigan's 7th congressional district from 2009 to 2011.
Scott Avery Boman is an American Libertarian politician from Michigan. He has consistently earned among the top votes of any third-party candidate in every Michigan election from 2000 through 2018. He was chair of the Libertarian Party of Michigan in 2006. Described by MIRS as a Libertarian Party standard-bearer, he has been a candidate in every state-wide partisan election since 1994, until successfully running for the Detroit office of Community Advisory Council in 2020.
Ronna Eileen Romney is an American Republican politician and former radio talk show host.
Robert C. Wonderling was a Republican member of the Pennsylvania State Senate who represented the 24th District from 2003 to 2009. The district he represented includes portions of Montgomery, Berks, Lehigh and Northampton Counties and includes the population centers of Easton, Lansdale, and Emmaus. He resigned his seat on July 28, 2009, to become president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia.
Robert P. Young Jr. is a former justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. Young was first appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court in 1999, elected in 2000 and 2002, and again won reelection in 2010 for a term ending in 2019. Justice Young announced he would be retiring from the court at the end of April 2017. Young is a self-described judicial traditionalist or textualist. In June 2017, Young announced his intentions to run against Debbie Stabenow in the 2018 senate race, but later dropped out saying he could not raise enough money for his campaign.
John Rakolta Jr is an American businessman and a former diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates from 2019 to 2021. He is the former CEO of Walbridge, a full-service construction company headquartered in Detroit. He was also one of the National Finance Chairs for Mitt Romney's 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns.
The 2012 United States Senate election in Michigan was held on November 6, 2012, alongside the 2012 United States presidential election, other elections to the United States Senate in other states, as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The 1990 United States Senate election in Michigan was held on November 5, 1990. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Carl Levin won re-election to a third term against future Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette.
Aric Nesbitt is an American politician serving as a member of the Michigan Senate, representing the 20th district, which includes most of Van Buren County, Central Allegan County, Northern Berrien County and Byron Township & Gaines Township in Kent County. He serves as the minority leader of the Michigan State Senate and previously served as President pro tempore. He received the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award from Hillsdale College for being a conservative reformer. He previously represented the 66th District in the Michigan House of Representatives and served as the Michigan Lottery Commissioner from 2017 to 2018. Nesbitt was elected in November 2010 to the Michigan House of Representatives, served three terms, and served as the House Majority Floor Leader and chair of the House Committee on Energy & Technology. He is a member of the Republican Party and resides south of Lawton, Michigan with his wife, Trisha, daughter, Catherine, and son, William.
Cindy Gamrat is a former Republican member of the Michigan House of Representatives, representing the 80th district. She was first elected in 2014, after playing a leading role in organizing the Tea Party movement in Michigan. She engaged in an extramarital affair with fellow Representative Todd Courser, and was expelled from the House in September 2015 for using taxpayer resources in an attempt to cover up the affair.
Events from the year 1885 in Michigan.
John Edward James is an American businessman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Michigan's 10th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he was its nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018 and 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)