The Honorable Paul C. Hillegonds | |
|---|---|
| 65th Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives | |
| In office January 13, 1993 –December 30, 1996 Servingwith Curtis Hertel (1993–1994) | |
| Preceded by | Lew Dodak |
| Succeeded by | Curtis Hertel |
| Member of the Michigan House of Representatives | |
| In office January 1,1979 –December 31,1996 | |
| Preceded by | Edgar Fredricks |
| Succeeded by | Patricia L. Birkholz |
| Constituency | 54th district (1979–1992) 88th district (1993–1996) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 4,1949 Holland,Michigan |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan (B.A.) Thomas Cooley Law School |
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.
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]
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]
