William Kaye

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William Kaye (February 13, 1813 — November 19, 1890) was the fourteenth Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky from 1863 to 1864. He was born in Yorkshire, England to a clothing manufacturer, trained as a machinist, and came to Louisville in 1836. In 1841 he founded Kaye & Co., which was well known for its brass and bell works, including the bell in the Cathedral of the Assumption.

In 1862 he was elected as a Democrat to the City Council, and on April 4, 1863 he was elected mayor over former mayor Thomas H. Crawford, who ran on the Unionist platform. Kaye was not an open supporter of the Confederacy, but he was backed by some secessionists.

After his term as mayor, he served again on the City Council, and also as Chief of Police for a year. He died of heart failure and is buried in Cave Hill Cemetery.

[edit] Reference

Yater, George H. (1987). Two Hundred Years at the Fall of the Ohio: A History of Louisville and Jefferson County, 2nd edition, Louisville, KY: Filson Club, Incorporated. ISBN 0-9601072-3-1.