1992 in Michigan


Events from the year 1992 in Michigan.

Top Michigan news stories

Broadcast and newspaper members of the Associated Press voted on the top news stories in Michigan for 1992 as follows:
  1. General Motors' problems with plant closings, labor unrest, and management upheaval
  2. Presidential candidates in Michigan. In the 1992 United States presidential election between George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ross Perot, the candidates made repeated visits to the state. The final presidential debate was held at Michigan State University in East Landing on October 19, 1992.
  3. Jack Kevorkian's acquittal of murder and his role in assisting five additional suicides during the year
  4. The death of Malice Green and prosecution of four Detroit police officers
  5. Changes in Michigan's Congressional delegation including the loss of two seats due to reapportionment
  6. Leslie Williams case. The arrest and conviction of 38-year-old serial killer Leslie Williams. Williams was paroled from prison in August 1990 and went on a crime spree that included murdering four teenage girls, raping a nine-year-old, kidnapping a woman, and sexually assaulting other women. He was arrested in May 1992 when a witness saw him in the act of abducting a woman in a cemetery. Williams grew up in Garden City, Michigan, where his mother was a prostitute and his father was convicted of sexually molesting two step-daughters. Williams had a long criminal history and had been declared a habitual offender after he was convicted in 1983 of assault with intent to kidnap and to sexually penetrate.
  7. Welfare reform. Changes in Michigan's welfare system, including a request that recipients work, go to school, or volunteer their time.
  8. Dow Corning breast implants controversy. Facing mass litigation over leaks from its silicone breast implants, Dow Corning announced in March 1992 that it would cease manufacturing the implants.
  9. Conviction of William Hart. In May 1992, a federal jury found former Detroit Police Chief William Hart guilty of embezzling almost $2.6 million from the City of Detroit. Hart in 1976 became the first African-American police chief in a major U.S. city.
  10. Magic Johnson's return to the NBA and subsequent retirement and a lawsuit by a woman alleging that Johnson had infected her with the AIDS virus

    Office holders

State office holders

Sports

Baseball

Chronology of events

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Births

Deaths