William Ketchum (March 2, 1798 – October 1, 1876) was the 14th
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 ...
of the City of
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
. He served from 1844 to 1845.
Biography
William Ketchum was born on March 2, 1798 in
Bloomfield, New York
Bloomfield is a village in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 1,361 at the 2010 census.
The Village of Bloomfield is in the Town of East Bloomfield and is west of Canandaigua.
History
The village was part of the Phe ...
. He moved to Buffalo in 1819, and became a partner at a merchant house that handled furs and hats. He was one of the founders of the original Bank of Buffalo along with
Major Andre Andrews and
Hiram Pratt.
Ketchum served as a Buffalo Village Trustee prior to the city's incorporation, and later served on the
Erie County Board of Supervisors. On March 5, 1844, he ran successfully as the
Whig candidate for mayor. He did not run for re-election in 1845. He was later a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
and a Hindoo, a splinter group of the Republican Party.
In 1847, he patented the first practical
lawn mower
A lawn mower (also known as a mower, grass cutter or lawnmower) is a device utilizing one or more revolving blades (or a reel) to cut a grass surface to an even height. The height of the cut grass may be fixed by the design of the mower, but g ...
in the US.
In 1851 he was appointed collector of the port of Buffalo by President
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853; he was the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Represen ...
. He retired from the fur and hat business in 1857. In 1861, he patented the
Ketchum Grenade
The Ketchum Hand Grenade was a type of grenade used in the American Civil War. It was patented on August 20, 1861 (U.S. Pat. #33,089) by William F. Ketchum, a mayor of Buffalo, New York, and was partially adopted in the Union Army. They were used ...
, which was used by the Union Army during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
.
Later in life, he developed an interest in the
History of Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the county seat of Erie County, and the second most populous city in the U.S. state of New York, after New York City. Originating around 1789 as a small trading community inhabited by the Neutral Nation near the mouth of Buffalo Creek ...
and wrote a two-volume history of early Buffalo.
Personal life
On March 18, 1823 he married Lamira Callendar of Buffalo; she died in 1866 and he remarried on September 7, 1871 to Elizabeth Palmer of
Brantford, Ontario
Brantford ( 2021 population: 104,688) is a city in Ontario, Canada, founded on the Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. It is surrounded by Brant County, but is politically separate with a municipal government of its own that is fully independ ...
.
He died October 1, 1876, and is buried in the Ketchum family plot in
Forest Lawn Cemetery.
Electoral history
See also
*
List of mayors of Buffalo, New York
The following is a list of people who have served as mayors of the city of Buffalo in the U.S. state of New York.
List of mayors
Number of mayors by party affiliation
History
In 1853, the charter of the city was amended to include the tow ...
*
Ketchum Grenade
The Ketchum Hand Grenade was a type of grenade used in the American Civil War. It was patented on August 20, 1861 (U.S. Pat. #33,089) by William F. Ketchum, a mayor of Buffalo, New York, and was partially adopted in the Union Army. They were used ...
References
1798 births
1876 deaths
Mayors of Buffalo, New York
Burials at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Buffalo)
New York (state) Whigs
19th-century American politicians
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