Paul C. Barth

Who was Paul C. Barth?

Paul C. Barth was Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky from 1905 to 1907. The son of a cabinetmaker who died when Barth was 11, he took financial responsibility for the family at an early age. He became sales manager for the Utica Lime Company and founded the Ohio River Sand Company in 1892.

Barth entered politics in 1890 when a retiring member of the Louisville Board of Alderman chose him as his successor. He was elected that body's president from 1897 to 1898, and again from 1902 to 1905.

Barth ran for mayor in 1905 against Joseph T. O'Neal, who ran as a Fusionist – an anti-corruption party with support from Republicans and Progressives. Barth had the backing of Democratic party boss John Whallen and his powerful political machine. Barth won by over 4,800 votes but the election was fiercely contested by Fusionists, who alleged rampant ballot tampering and voter intimidation had been used by the Democrats.

The Jefferson County Circuit Court, which had ties to Whallen, upheld the results by a 2 to 1 vote. The Kentucky Court of Appeals finally ruled the election invalid in May 1907, throwing all Democrats elected in 1905 out of office.