William Kettner
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William "Bill" Kettner (November 20, 1864 – November 11, 1930) was a US Democratic politician from
San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...
. He served four terms in
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from 1913 through 1921 and is credited with bringing many
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facilities to San Diego.


Biography

Kettner was born in 1864 in Ann Arbor,
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to John F. and Frederika Kettner, both
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immigrants. His parents moved to St. Paul, Minnesota in 1873. His father died when he was 13, so he had to leave school to work, first as a bell boy, then he drove a dray horse. He came to San Diego when he was 21, in the middle of an economic boom in the late 1880s, and worked various odd jobs around the state. In 1893 he married Ida B. Griffs in
Visalia, California Visalia ( ) is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California. The population was 141,384 as per the 2020 census. Visalia is the fifth-largest city in the San Joaquin Valley, the 42nd most populous in California, and 192nd in ...
and went into the real estate and insurance business there. The couple divorced in 1904. Kettner married Marion Morgan in 1905, and they lived in Visalia until moving to San Diego in 1907. William Kettner set up an insurance business, and later became involved with real estate and banking. The next year the city was visited by the U.S. Navy's Great White Fleet - its first U.S. stop on a round-the-world cruise. Kettner was inspired by the visit and volunteered to organize the city's reception festivities for the fleet. He then became a member of the board of the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, and served as its director. Kettner was first elected to the
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in 1912. Although he was a
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and Republicans had traditionally represented the district, he was supported by many Republicans, including the conservative San Diego ''Union'', because of his popularity with the Chamber of Commerce and the turmoil in the national Republican party caused by
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
's split of the party into "stand-patters" and Progressives. Republicans used the slogan "Why not Kettner?" Kettner won by 3,500 votes. He was re-elected in 1914 by 24,000 votes; in 1916 by 9,000 votes; and in 1918 when he ran unopposed. He stepped down as congressman in 1920 due to poor health and a financial downturn with his insurance business. During his four terms in Congress, 1913–1921, he spent much effort bringing Naval bases to San Diego. His first accomplishment, achieved by lobbying even before he was sworn in as a member of Congress, was a federal appropriation to dredge San Diego Bay to allow large ships to enter. He continued to promote San Diego and Southern California interests (the Congressional district then encompassed ten counties) throughout his tenure. Kettner won friends easily with his warm personality and addressed colleagues as "brother", earning him the nickname of "Brother Bill" in San Diego and
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. He courted many congressmen and officials, lobbying them over dinner and gifting them with California produce such as oranges and wine. He became friends with
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, then
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. Roosevelt visited San Diego during the
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and came away impressed with the area's potential as a Navy base. He helped Kettner's efforts to establish bases in San Diego as assistant Naval secretary and later as
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. By the time Kettner retired from Congress in 1921, he had secured many Naval bases, including
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on the site which is now Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, the Broadway Naval Supply Depot, the 32nd Street Naval Station, San Diego Naval Hospital, Naval Training Center San Diego, and
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. The military later became for a time the largest employer in
San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the f ...
. Kettner was nicknamed the "Million Dollar Congressman" for his ability to gain Naval bases in San Diego. Kettner died in San Diego in 1930 and is buried at Greenwood Memorial Park, beside his mother, who died in 1912. In 1919 the fireboat ''Bill Kettner'', in use until 1961, was named in his honor. In 1930, San Diego's Arctic Street was renamed Kettner Boulevard to honor him.


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Other references

* . Compiled by Mary B. Steyle. Kettner's Congressional autobiography, with his portrait. * , v. 2, pp. 104–105: "William Kettner" * Biography, pp. 106–108
Biography
(San Diego Historical Society) *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kettner, William 1864 births 1930 deaths History of San Diego Businesspeople from San Diego Politicians from San Diego Politicians from Ann Arbor, Michigan Politicians from Saint Paul, Minnesota People from Visalia, California American bankers American businesspeople in insurance American real estate businesspeople American people of German descent California city council members Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California Burials at Greenwood Memorial Park (San Diego)