Kenneth A. Schmied

Who was Kenneth A. Schmied?

Kenneth Allen Schmied, a Republican, served as Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky.

Schmied was the son of a Swiss immigrant who sold coffee door to door and later owned a furniture store. Kenneth A. Schmied and a brother entered the family furniture business.

Schmied was not politically active until 1960 when a local party leader asked him to help organize a rally for Republican presidential candidate Richard M. Nixon. The local party was impressed with his ability and recruited him to run for the Board of Aldermen in Louisville's Third Ward. Schmied directed the local Republican effort that fall and the Republicans swept the local elections. Republican William O. Cowger was elected Mayor of Louisville and Schmied won the aldermanic seat and was elected President of the Board of Aldermen.

Cowger chose Schmied as his successor as mayor. Schmied ran for the office in 1965. He defeated a former sheriff in the Republican primary and won the general election against Democrat Marlin Volz. Republicans retained control of the Board of Aldermen. Schmied served as mayor from 1965 to 1969.