Charles Donald Jacob (June 1, 1838 – December 25, 1898)''Legendary Locals of Louisville''
/ref> was an American politician who served four terms as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, two consecutively in 1873-78, then later in 1882-84 and 1888-90. He also served as the U.S. minister to

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

in 1885–1886. He was a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. In Mayor Jacob's third term, he oversaw the opening of the

Southern Exposition The Southern Exposition was a five-year series of world's fairs held in the city of Louisville, Kentucky, from 1883 to 1887 in what is now Louisville's Old Louisville neighborhood. The exposition, held for 100 days each year on immediately sout ...

. Perhaps Jacob's most lasting contribution was his fourth-term establishment in 1889 of a large park in Louisville, today called

Iroquois Park Iroquois Park is a 725-acre (3.0 km²) municipal park in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed Louisville's Cherokee Park and Shawnee Park, at what were then the edges of the city. L ...

, which was landscaped by

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co- ...

Early life

Charles Donald Jacob was born on June 1, 1838, in

to John J. and Lucy Donald (née Robertson) Jacob. His mother was the granddaughter of Commodore Richard Taylor of

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

fame. His father was John J. Jacob, the financier and philanthropist who was Louisville's first millionaire. His older brother was

Richard Taylor Jacob Richard Taylor Jacob (March 13, 1825 – September 13, 1903) was an American attorney and politician, elected as 17th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky (1863–64). Although a slaveholder, he was loyal to the Union during the American Civil War, r ...

, who became

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, and his brother-in-law was James Brown Clay, who was elected as a U.S. Representative.

Career

In 1870, Jacob was urged to run for City Council and he was elected. In 1872, Jacob ran for mayor against John G. Baxter. He was elected and served two terms, from 1873 to 1878. Baxter again became mayor, and Jacob ran again in 1881 and won. He served as mayor for one more term from 1882 to 1884. He was urged again to run for mayor in 1888. He ran as an independent challenger against Democratic nominee Judge W. B. Hoke and Republican nominee Samuel Avery and won by a large majority (almost 4,000 votes). In this term, he established the Park Commission and managed the purchase of a plot of land called "Burnt Knob". From that land, he built what was called Jacob Park (later Iroquois Park) and a bridge that was nicknamed "Jacob's Folly" in Louisville. In 1893, Jacob ran against Henry S. Tyler for mayor after Tyler's first term, but he was defeated. In 1896, Jacob was offered the Democratic ticket if he ran in support of the

free silver Free silver was a major economic policy issue in the United States in the late 19th-century. Its advocates were in favor of an expansionary monetary policy featuring the unlimited coinage of silver into money on-demand, as opposed to strict adhe ...

cause. He declined, and ran again as an independent, but lost to Republican candidate

George Davidson Todd George Davidson Todd (April 19, 1856 – November 23, 1929) was Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky from 1896 to 1897. Early life George D. Todd was born on April 19, 1856, in Frankfort, Kentucky. His descendants were early settlers of Kentucky, and h ...

. Jacob was appointed U.S. minister to

by President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

and served in that role for two years, until he resigned. In 1886, Jacob was elected president of the Mutual Life Insurance Company of Kentucky, a position he held until his death. He was also president of the Central Savings Bank for a time.

Personal life

Jacob married Addie Martin, the daughter of local Louisville commission merchant Thomas J. Martin, on January 12, 1869. They had three children: Jennie, Lucy and Charles D. Jacob Jr. Charles D. Jacob Jr. was killed in the Battle of San Juan Hill on July 1, 1898. His wife died on March 4, 1878. Jacob married Edith Bullitt on June 2, 1897. Jacob died on December 25, 1898, in Louisville. He was interred in Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.

Legacy and honors

The

Jacobs Jacobs may refer to: Businesses and organisations *Jacob's, a brand name for several lines of biscuits and crackers in Ireland and the UK *Jacobs (coffee), a brand of coffee * Jacobs Aircraft Engine Company, former American aircraft engine compan ...

neighborhood in Louisville is named for him.

References

External links

Jacob Family Papers at the Filson Historical SocietyFuneralWire.com
1838 births 1898 deaths 19th-century American diplomats Mayors of Louisville, Kentucky Kentucky Democrats 19th-century American politicians Ambassadors of the United States to Colombia Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery {{Louisville-stub