William Bainbridge Castle (November 30, 1814 – February 28, 1872) was an American politician of the Whig Party who served as the 11th and final mayor of Ohio City from 1853 to 1854 and 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 ...

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

from 1855 to 1856. Castle was born in

Essex, Vermont Essex is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Vermont Route 289 crosses the town from east to west. The city of Essex Junction, population 10,590, was located within the town as an incorporated village until 2022. History The ...

. The family moved to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

in 1815, where his father, Jonathan Castle, was engaged as an architect "to superintend the construction of the first Parliament buildings there." In 1827, the family settled in Cleveland. Jonathan and William Castle opened Cleveland's first lumberyard. The elder Castle died two years later, leaving the business to his son. He moved back to

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

and then to Ohio City in 1839. He entered politics and quickly rose to prominence as a member of the Ohio City Common Council. In 1853, he was elected the city's mayor and assisted in authoring the 1854 agreement to merge Cleveland and Ohio City. In 1855, he became mayor of Cleveland. On July 21, 1862, William B. Castle, as chairman of the District Military Committee, Cleveland, sent a letter to Governor

David Tod David Tod (February 21, 1805 – November 13, 1868) was an American politician and industrialist from the U.S. state of Ohio. As the 25th governor of Ohio, Tod gained recognition for his forceful and energetic leadership during the American Civi ...

, enclosing a copy of a resolution recommending that the appointment of company officers for the 103rd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. In December 1836, Castle married Miss Mary Derby, who died in Canada the following year. In 1840, he married Mary H. Newell of Vermont, by whom he had one son, W. W. Castle, and three daughters. Mayor Castle was a delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio in 1868. William B. Castle was a longtime member of the

Vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...

and Senior Warden of the

St. John's Episcopal Church (Cleveland, Ohio) St. John's Episcopal Church is located at 2600 Church Avenue in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. St. John's is the oldest consecrated building in Cuyahoga county. This stone gothic revival church building was designed by Hezekia ...

. There is a large historic marker on the eastern wall of the church in his honor. Dates for the marriages of his children are in the memorial stained glass windows of St. John's. Mayor Castle was interred beneath an obelisk in the Castle family plot at the Monroe Street Cemetery in Cleveland. He was disinterred at some later date, and re-interred at Cleveland's

Lake View Cemetery Lake View Cemetery is a privately owned, nonprofit garden cemetery located in the cities of Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, and East Cleveland in the U.S. state of Ohio. Founded in 1869, the cemetery was favored by wealthy families during the Gil ...

beneath a funerary monument featuring St. John the Evangelist.

References

External links

Mayor William B. Castle
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Castle, William B. 1814 births 1872 deaths People from Essex, Vermont 19th-century American Episcopalians Ohio Whigs 19th-century American politicians Mayors of Cleveland Burials at Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland Ohio Republicans Burials at Monroe Street Cemetery