George Davidson Todd

Who was George Davidson Todd?

George Davidson Todd was Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky from 1896 to 1897. His descendants were early settlers of Kentucky, and his father, Harry Innes Todd, was a two-term sheriff of Franklin County, Kentucky as well as state prison trustee and warden. George Davidson Todd came to Louisville at age 18 to work for the W.B. Belknap hardware company. He started his own company, the Todd-Donigan Iron Company, in 1880.

He served as treasurer of the state Republican Party, and became the first republican elected Mayor of Louisville. Todd finished out the term of Democrat Henry S. Tyler who had died in office. His term as mayor was complicated by a split within his own party over political appointments, and he lost his bid for re-election in 1897.

After his term as mayor he returned to his Iron company and moved to New Albany, Indiana in the 1920s.