William T. Malster

William Torbert Malster (April 4, 1843 – March 2, 1907) was Mayor of Baltimore from 1897 to 1899. He was the founder and president of Columbian Iron Works Company, a shipbuilding company in Baltimore.

Early life William Torbert Malster was born on April 4, 1843, in Chesapeake City, Maryland, to Jeremiah Malster. His father was a colonel in the Confederate States Army and school teacher. Malster attended public school in Cecil County. Malster served as an engineer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Malster tried a number of occupations as a boy, including farming, the grocery business, selling confectionery, painting, blacksmithing and carpentering. He ultimately found employment on a steamer. He then made study of steam engineering, and passed an examination before the United States inspectors.

Career Malster became a fireman and then an engineer on a canal freight boat. He advanced in his profession and then became chief engineer on an ocean transport. In 1871, Malster founded a small plant for engines and steamers on Caroline Street in Baltimore. He later established his business on Ann Street in Baltimore. There they built the steamer Enoch Pratt and the hull of the ice boat F. C. Latrobe. In 1879, Malster organized the firm Malster & Reaney at Locust Point with W. B. Reaney. It was later named Columbian Iron Works Company and incorporated in 1884. Upon its incorporation, Malster served as president and general manager. They built a number of ferryboats, steamers and cruisers, including the cruisers USS Detroit, USS Montgomery and the USS Petrel. They also developed torpedo boats and submarines. One of the contracts that helped Malster get a reputation was a yacht he built for Henri Say, a relative of Léon Say. The yacht was reported as the biggest yacht in the world for its time. They also built the SS Maverick, a tank steamer built for Standard Oil that was the first to carry oil in bulk. He defeated Theodore Marburg in the Republican primary and Henry Williams in the general election. He married Florence N. Hill, daughter of Captain Edward M. Hill, of Baltimore on June 2, 1886. He had two daughters, Florence and Sara (or Sarah), with his second wife. His second wife, Florence, died on May 16, 1891. He married Anna Laura (née Conroy) Hardcastle, widow of Dr. Marion L. Hardcastle, of Chesapeake City on February 16, 1898.

Malster died on March 2, 1907, at his home at 1811 North Charles Street in Baltimore. He was buried at Bethel Cemetery in Elkton, Maryland.