William Torbert Malster (April 4, 1843 – March 2, 1907) was

Mayor of Baltimore The mayor of Baltimore is the head of the executive branch of the government of the City of Baltimore, Maryland. The Mayor has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills, ordinances, or resolutions passed by the ...

from 1897 to 1899. He was the founder and president of Columbian Iron Works Company, a shipbuilding company in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

Early life

William Torbert Malster was born on April 4, 1843, in Chesapeake City, Maryland to Jeremiah Malster. His father was a colonel in the Confederate States Army and school teacher. Malster attended public school in

Cecil County Cecil County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland at the northeastern corner of the state, bordering both Pennsylvania and Delaware. As of the 2020 census, the population was 103,725. The county seat is Elkton. The county was ...

. Malster served as an engineer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Malster tried a number of occupations as a boy, including farming, the grocery business, selling confectionery, painting, blacksmithing and carpentering. He ultimately found employment on a steamer. He then made study of steam engineering, and passed an examination before the United States inspectors.

Career

Malster became a fireman and then an engineer on a canal freight boat. He advanced in his profession and then became chief engineer on an ocean transport. In 1871, Malster founded a small plant for engines and steamers on Caroline Street in Baltimore. He later established his business on Ann Street in Baltimore. There they built the steamer Enoch Pratt and the hull of the ice boat F. C. Latrobe. In 1879, Malster organized the firm Malster & Reaney at Locust Point with W. B. Reaney. It was later named Columbian Iron Works Company and incorporated in 1884. Upon its incorporation, Malster served as president and general manager. They built a number of ferryboats, steamers and cruisers, including the cruisers ''

USS Detroit USS ''Detroit'' may refer to: * USS ''Detroit'' (1813), a 20-gun ship captured from the British during the Battle of Lake Erie, 10 September 1813, laid up almost immediately, and sold in 1825. * ''Detroit'', a screw steamer, was laid down at the ...

'', ''

USS Montgomery USS ''Montgomery'' may refer to: * was a frigate that was never completed during the Revolutionary War. * was a sloop or schooner in service from 1813 to 1815. * was a screw-driven steamer in service from 1861 to 1865. * was an unprotected cru ...

'' and the '' USS Petrel''. They also developed torpedo boats and submarines. One of the contracts that helped Malster get a reputation was a yacht he built for Henri Say, a relative of

Léon Say Jean-Baptiste-Léon Say (6 June 1826, Paris – 21 April 1896, Paris) was a French statesman and diplomat. One of the 19th-century's noted economists, he served as French Finance Minister from 1872 until 1883. Biography The Say family is a mos ...

. The yacht was reported as the biggest yacht in the world for its time. They also built the ''

SS Maverick SS ''Maverick'' was an oil tanker built in 1890 for the Standard Oil of New York, later Mobil Oil. After the ship had changed hands sometime between 1910 and 1915, it was used during World War I as part of the Hindu–German Conspiracy to foment ...

'', a tank steamer built for

Standard Oil Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co-f ...

that was the first to carry oil in bulk. His company also built the Calvert Street Bridge over Jones Falls and the a cable road in Philadelphia, the first east of the Rocky Mountains. Malster was a Republican. He ran for

in 1893, but lost to

Ferdinand C. Latrobe Ferdinand Claiborne Latrobe (October 14, 1833 – January 13, 1911) was a seven-term Mayor of Baltimore, member of the Maryland House of Delegates and attorney during the 19th century. Early life Latrobe was born on October 14, 1833, at a hous ...

. He ran again in 1897. While running, Malster worked to increase the black vote in his election by promising black leaders three black nominees (one from each legislative district) on the Republican ticket for Maryland House of Delegates. The proposed nominees included

Whitfield Winsey Whitfield Winsey (September 1847-July 6, 1919), was the first African American doctor admitted to the Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland. Winsey was born to William H. and Malvina Gibbs Winsey of Baltimore. The Winseys were a free African ...

, William Ashbie Hawkins and Walker W. Lewis, a grocer. Only Winsey came close to nomination, but ultimately Malster and his "Malsterites" reneged on the deal. He defeated Theodore Marburg in the Republican primary and Henry Williams in the general election. Malster served as mayor from November 17, 1897, to November 15, 1899. While mayor, the new 1898 charter for the city was made. For this, he was nicknamed "The Charter Mayor". Following the charter, Malster also served as president of the Board of Estimates while mayor. He was defeated for re-election in 1899 by

Thomas Gordon Hayes Thomas Gordon Hayes (January 5, 1844 – August 27, 1915) was a Democratic politician and lawyer, who served as the United States District Attorney for Maryland from 1886 to 1890 and as the Mayor of Baltimore from 1899 to 1903. Biography Born ...

. During his administration, a general plan for street improvement was passed, and the city prohibited the further use of cobblestones for street paving. The

Daughters of the Confederacy The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is an American neo-Confederate hereditary association for female descendants of Confederate Civil War soldiers engaging in the commemoration of these ancestors, the funding of monuments to them, ...

were authorized to erect a monument of

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

soldiers and sailors to Mount Royal Avenue. He ran for re-election, but lost to

. Malster served as a Maryland delegate to the

1896 Republican National Convention The 1896 Republican National Convention was held in a temporary structure south of the St. Louis City Hall in Saint Louis, Missouri, from June 16 to June 18, 1896. Former Governor William McKinley of Ohio was nominated for president on the firs ...

. He was appointed as naval officer by President William McKinley at the Port of Baltimore in 1902. He served in that role until 1906.

Personal life

Malster married Bridget "Jennie" Leary of Baltimore on February 1, 1870. He married Florence N. Hill, daughter of Captain Edward M. Hill, of Baltimore on June 2, 1886. He had two daughters, Florence and Sara (or Sarah), with his second wife. His second wife, Florence, died on May 16, 1891. He married Anna Laura (née Conroy) Hardcastle, widow of Dr. Marion L. Hardcastle, of Chesapeake City on February 16, 1898. Malster died on March 2, 1907, at his home at 1811 North Charles Street in Baltimore. He was buried at Bethel Cemetery in Elkton, Maryland.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malster, William T. 1843 births 1907 deaths People from Chesapeake City, Maryland Mayors of Baltimore American shipbuilders Maryland Republicans People of Maryland in the American Civil War