William B. Ogden
William Butler Ogden | |
|---|---|
| 1st Mayor of Chicago | |
| In office May 1837 – March 1838 | |
| Preceded by | John H. Kinzie (president of town Board of Trustees) |
| Succeeded by | Buckner Stith Morris |
| Member of the Illinois Senate | |
| In office 1860–1861 | |
| Chicago Alderman | |
| In office 1847–1848 Serving with Michael McDonald | |
| Preceded by | constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Samuel McKay |
| Constituency | 9th ward |
| In office 1840–1841 Serving with R.J. Hamilton | |
| Preceded by | John H. Kinzie/ Buckner Stith Morris |
| Succeeded by | George F. Foster/ James J.H. Howe |
| Constituency | 6th ward |
| Member of the New York State Assembly | |
| In office January 1, 1835 – December 31, 1835 | |
| Constituency | Delaware County, New York |
| Postmaster of Walton, New York | |
| In office ~1829–1835 | |
| Appointed by | Andrew Jackson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 15, 1805 |
| Died | August 3, 1877 (aged 72) |
| Party | Democratic (Before 1860) |
| Other political affiliations | Republican (Beginning in 1860) |
| Spouse | Marianna Tuttle Arnot |
| Education | New York University Law School |
| Occupation | Real Estate Developer |
William Butler Ogden (June 15, 1805 – August 3, 1877) was an American politician and railroad executive who served as the first Mayor of Chicago. He was referred to as "the Astor of Chicago." He was, at one time, the city's richest citizen. He brought the Galena & Chicago Union RR out of insolvency and was its first president in 1847. He created the Chicago & North Western Railway from the failed remains of the Chicago, St.Paul, Fond du Lac and was its first president in 1859. He spearheaded the 1st transcontinental railroad as the Union Pacific and was its first president in 1862, although he relinquished that position due to poor health.
Ogden serves as the namesake for Chicago's Ogden Avenue, The Bronx's Odgen Avenue, the Ogden Slip in Chicago (which was constructed by his Chicago Dock and Canal Company), and Ogden, Iowa. A 1994 survey of experts on Chicago politics assessed Ogden as one of the ten best mayors in the city's history (up to that time).