William Rath

William Albert L. Rath (January 28, 1849 – August 10, 1916) was a German-American businessman and politician living in the United States who helped develop Ludington, a harbor town on Lake Michigan in Mason County, Michigan. He was in the lumber business and also was involved in banking and other businesses. He was mayor of Ludington for one term and a member of the town's board of trade and board of aldermen as well as the county's board of supervisors. He is memorialized in Ludington by a street, a building, and a mural.

Early life William Rath was born in Hamburg, Germany on January 28, 1849. His father, Hans, lived his entire life in Germany, while his mother, Mary, eventually came to America.

The couple were active members of the local German Lutheran church, St. John's Lutheran, and he was in charge of the church's efforts to plan and raise monies for a bigger building for their congregation. He was also a collector of customs beginning in 1895. One of his other duties was to keep records on the number and tonnage of train ferries coming through the port.

Rath became a part of the firm Weimer & Rath by 1880. In 1890, he filed for bankruptcy after falling victim to a copper mining investment fraud. He was able to recover from this setback, and developed a partnership with Ludington businessman Warren Antoine Cartier; together they formed the lumber business of Rath & Cartier. Rath and Wing also founded another bank in Mason County called Fountain Bank. and was president of the Manistee Watch Company. Rath, often with Cartier, was involved in other companies.

A Republican, Rath was a member of the Ludington board of aldermen for ten years and served on the county board of supervisors representing Ludington. but was defeated by one vote.

Rath owned a number of properties in Mason and Manistee counties, Rath and Antoine Ephrem Cartier bought the Cartier Park land near Lincoln Lake His will included $25,000 towards improvement of Cartier Park. Rath is also memorialized in a mural showing him drinking from a Fountain of Youth, which, as a description of the mural states, was "something that was in vogue in the late 1800s."