William Volker

William Volker (; ; April 1, 1859 – November 4, 1947) was an entrepreneur who turned a picture frame business into a multimillion-dollar empire and who then gave away his fortune to shape much of Kansas City, Missouri, both through the William Volker Fund and anonymously, earning him the nickname of "Mr. Anonymous."

Biography Volker was one of six children born to Frederick and Dorothea Volker in Hanover, Kingdom of Hanover. He moved with his family to Chicago in 1871 and at age 14 took a job as a clerk at a dry goods store. Wanting to further his education, he began studying accounting at Professor J. Dyhrenfurt's business college in Chicago, where he was hired a few months later as a junior teacher. In 1876, he left the college and took a position as a bookkeeper for a large picture frame company owned by another German born immigrant, Charles Brachvogel. According to Volker, this was the turning point in his business career.

Although one of Kansas City's wealthiest residents by his mid 40s, Volker remained humble and unassuming. He lived on a modest house at 3717 Bell, earning him the moniker of "Mr. Anonymous of Bell Street." He died in 1947 Volker is memorialized in Kansas City today at the William Volker Memorial Fountain.