William Case

Who was William Case?

William Case was an American politician of the Republican party and served as the 12th mayor of Cleveland, Ohio from 1850 and 1851. He was the first Cleveland-born citizen to become mayor.

In his early career, he helped form and became the first president of the Cleveland Library Association in 1846. In 1850, he founded the short-lived Cleveland University. He also served as president of the Cleveland, Ashtabula, and Painesville Railroad, securing the financing allowing the line to complete its Chicago-to-Buffalo route. In 1846, Case was elected to Cleveland City Council and served as an alderman from 1847 to 1849. In 1850, Case was elected mayor of Cleveland. In his tenure, Case organized the city workhouse, poorhouse, and house of refuge. He is often credited with establishing the Cleveland nickname, "The Forest City", as a result of a city-wide fruit-tree planting campaign.