William Litterer (1834–1917) was an American Democratic politician. He served as the

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 ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, from 1890 to 1891.

Early life

Litterer was born in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

on August 24, 1834.Friends of Metropolitan Archives of Nashville and Davidson County, TN
/ref> His father, Charles A. Litterer, taught at

Heidelberg University } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

. His brother was Charles A. Litterer. They came to the United States in 1847 with their parents and settled in Nashville in 1855. LittererLabs

Career

Litterer worked as a

maritime pilot A maritime pilot, marine pilot, harbor pilot, port pilot, ship pilot, or simply pilot, is a mariner who maneuvers ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbors or river mouths. Maritime pilots are regarded as skilled professionals ...

on the

Cumberland River The Cumberland River is a major waterway of the Southern United States. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 8, 2011 river drains almost of southern Kentucky and ...

. Litterer became Mayor pro tem after Mayor Charles P. McCarver resigned in October 1890. On February 10, 1891, he was elected Mayor, to complete the unexpired term of McCarver. As a result, he served as Mayor from 1890 to 1891.Nashville Library
/ref> In 1915, Litterer purchased the building of the

University of Nashville University of Nashville was a private university in Nashville, Tennessee. It was established in 1806 as Cumberland College. It existed as a distinct entity until 1909; operating at various times a medical school, a four-year military college, a ...

Medical Department called the Litterer Laboratory (on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

since January 9, 1978) and donated it to

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

.''Vanderbilt University Quarterly'', Volume 15, 1915, p. 85
/ref>

Death

Litterer died in December 1917. He is buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville.

References

1834 births 1917 deaths Emigrants from the Grand Duchy of Baden Tennessee Democrats Mayors of Nashville, Tennessee Vanderbilt University people 19th-century American politicians Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville) 19th-century American businesspeople Immigrants to the United States {{Tennessee-mayor-stub