History
Agitation for initiative and referendum in Michigan started with the
formation of the state’s Direct Legislation Club in 1895 by George F.
Sherman and David Inglis, both Detroit physicians. Inglis was 45 years old,
a distinguished professor at the Detroit Medical College. Sherman and
Inglis led I&R efforts in Michigan for over a decade without success,
despite support from the noted reformer, Detroit mayor, and later
Michigan governor Hazen S. Pingree. In 1900 S. D. Williams of Battle Creek