Politics
Edward H. McNamara
1926–2006 · mayor of Livonia, Wayne County executive
Livonia mayor turned Wayne County executive (1987–2002) who mentored a generation of Detroit-area Democrats and built the airport terminal that bears his name.
- Born
- Died
aged 79- Birth name
- Edward Howard McNamara
- Also known as
- Ed McNamara
- Detroit years
- 1962–2002
- Field
- Politics
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Edward McNamara entered local politics on the Livonia City Council in 1962 and served as mayor of that western Wayne County suburb from 1970 to 1986, overseeing its growth into one of the region's largest suburbs. In 1986 he was elected Wayne County executive, a post created only a few years earlier, and he held it for four terms, from 1987 to 2002. He became one of the most powerful Democrats in southeast Michigan and mentored a generation of politicians: Jennifer Granholm served as his corporation counsel before becoming attorney general and governor, Mike Duggan was his deputy county executive for fourteen years, and his chief of staff Bernard Kilpatrick was the father of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, whose 2001 campaign McNamara helped. His best-known legacy is the $1.6 billion expansion of Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, with two new runways and the midfield terminal that opened in 2002 and was named the Edward H. McNamara Terminal. Federal investigations into county contracting shadowed his final years. He died in 2006.
Highlights
- Wayne County executive, 1987–2002
- Mayor of Livonia, 1970–1986
- Oversaw the $1.6 billion expansion of Detroit Metro Airport
- Namesake of the Edward H. McNamara Terminal at DTW
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Memorial · 2002–
Edward H. McNamara Terminal, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
The airport's main midfield terminal, built during his expansion program and named in his honor.