Jump to content

Louis Will

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Louis Will
A political cartoon of Will, c. 1915
37th Mayor of Syracuse, New York
Preceded byEdward Schoeneck
Succeeded byWalter Robinson Stone
ConstituencySyracuse, New York
Personal details
Born1857
United States
DiedJuly 15, 1932
Syracuse, New York
Political partyProgressive Party
OccupationPolitician

Louis Will (1857 – July 15, 1932) was an American politician who served as mayor of Syracuse, New York, from 1914 to 1916. A member of the Progressive Party, he was the last third party candidate elected mayor of Syracuse until 2017.[1] [2]

Biography

[edit]

Early life and career

[edit]

Born to German immigrants Anton and Rosina Will, he left school early after the death of his father to run the family candlemaking business, now known as Will & Baumer.[3]

Mayoralty

[edit]

Will sought the mayoralty on the Progressive Party ticket. In a year with low voter turnout, Will was elected with only 9,858 votes.[4]

The flag of Syracuse adopted during Will's tenure

Will urged Syracuse to adopt a flag in the wake of other cities, such as San Francisco and Providence, adopting flags. After many delays and rejected designs, a flag was adopted on December 6, 1915. The Syracuse Common Council passed a resolution praising Will for the "patriotic public spirit" with which he encouraged the flag's creation. Many were left disappointed with the flag and it was described as "objectively ugly".[5]

Death

[edit]

Will died on July 15, 1932, at the age of 74.[6]

Legacy

[edit]

His home, the Louis Will House, a large Queen Anne-style brick house, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.[7]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Goldberg, Delen (September 22, 2009). "Can a third-party candidate become Syracuse's mayor? Otis Jennings says yes". syracuse.
  2. ^ "Ben Walsh elected Syracuse mayor". syracuse. November 8, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  3. ^ Opalka, Anthony (August 2009). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Louis Will House". Archived from the original on December 10, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2010. and Accompanying 20 photos, exterior and interior, from 2009 (captions on page 15 of text document) Archived 2011-12-10 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Rubado, Meghan (November 4, 2009). "Stephanie Miner elected Syracuse's first female mayor". syracuse.
  5. ^ "A century-old debacle: The messy tale of how Syracuse wound up with its city flag". The Post-Standard. June 11, 2023. pp. I8 – I9. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
  6. ^ "Louis Will, Former Syracuse Mayor, Dies". Poughkeepsie Eagle-News. July 16, 1932. p. 1. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
  7. ^ "Announcements and actions on properties for the National Register of Historic Places" (PDF). Weekly Listings. National Park Service. November 20, 2009. Retrieved December 1, 2009.