Zolton Ferency

Zolton Anton Ferency (June 30, 1922 – March 23, 1993) was an American lawyer, political activist and Professor of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University (MSU).[1]

Zolton Ferency

Ferency was born in Detroit, Michigan, in a Hungarian-American family. He served in World War II, and graduated from Michigan State University and the Detroit College of Law.

Ferency was a three-time chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party.[1] He was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Governor of Michigan in 1966, when he was defeated, as expected,[2] by George W. Romney. He also served as first President of the Human Rights Party, which he helped found in 1970[3] after breaking with the Democratic Party over its support for the Vietnam War.[1] He rejoined the Democrats in 1976.[1]

Ferency was elected to the Ingham County Board of Commissioners in 1980, and to the East Lansing City Council in 1991.[3] He was serving on the city council at his death.[1] He was a frequent if unsuccessful candidate for other public offices, running for governor in 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, and 1982; for Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court in 1972, 1976, and 1986; and for the Michigan Senate, 24th District, in 1990.

Ferency taught criminal justice at MSU from 1971 until his retirement in 1990.[1]

Ferency lived in East Lansing, Michigan. He died on March 23, 1993, in Lansing, Michigan.[1]

The Ferency House in the Michigan State University Student Housing Cooperative[4] and the Zolton Ferency Endowed Scholarship[3] at MSU commemorate Ferency.