Matilda Dodge Wilson

Matilda Dodge Wilson
43rd Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
In office
November 19, 1940 – January 1, 1941
GovernorLuren Dickinson
Preceded byLuren Dickinson
Succeeded byFrank Murphy
Personal details
Born
Matilda Rausch

(1883-10-19)October 19, 1883
Walkerton, Ontario, Canada
DiedSeptember 19, 1967(1967-09-19) (aged 83)
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
RelationsIsabel Dodge Sloane (step-daughter)
Children5 (2 adopted), including: Frances Dodge, Daniel Dodge, Anna Margaret
OccupationPhilanthropist, politician

Matilda Dodge Wilson (née Rausch; October 19, 1883 – September 19, 1967) was an American politician and heiress who was the 43rd Lieutenant Governor of Michigan. Ranked as one of the wealthiest women in the world,[1] she was the widow of John Francis Dodge, who co-founded the Dodge motor car company in Detroit with his brother Horace Elgin Dodge. She co-founded the Oakland campus of Michigan State University, now Oakland University, with her husband Alfred Wilson, and John A. Hannah. The new university was built on her 1,400-acre (5.7 km2) estate, Meadow Brook Farms.[2]

  1. ^ "Matilda Wilson and the Meadow Brook Farm". Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference guide was invoked but never defined (see the help page).