William C. E. Thomas

William C. E. Thomas (November 21, 1818 – August 13, 1876) was an American publisher, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the first mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin. After his mayoral term, he served more than a decade as city clerk, and served the last five years of his life as postmaster. In virtually all documents, he is referred to by the abbreviated name

Biography W. C. E. Thomas was born in Muncy, Pennsylvania, on November 21, 1818. He was educated in public schools before attending the Milton Academy in Milton, Pennsylvania. While at Milton, he apprenticed in a printing shop for four years, and learned the printing trade.

In 1839, he moved west, settling at Galena, Illinois, where he worked for the Galena Daily Gazette for nearly ten years.

He became one of the more popular citizens at Green Bay, and, when the city received its official charter in 1854, he was elected their first mayor, serving one year.

He suffered from declining health for two years, beginning in 1874, and was confined to his home for the last two months of his life. After a month of significant suffering, he died on August 13, 1876. The home still stood at that location until 2015, when it was replaced by a set of row houses.

Electoral history