Politics / Law
William C. Maybury
1848–1909 · lawyer, congressman, mayor of Detroit
Detroit-born lawyer and congressman who was mayor from 1897 to 1904, sealed the Detroit Century Box time capsule and invested in Henry Ford's first car company; his statue stands in Grand Circus Park.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan- Died
Detroit, Michigan
aged 60- Birth name
- William Cotter Maybury
- Also known as
- William Cotter Maybury
- Detroit years
- 1848–1909
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
William C. Maybury was born in Detroit in 1848, graduated from the city's public schools and took his bachelor's and law degrees at the University of Michigan. Back in Detroit he practiced law, served as city attorney from 1876 to 1880 and lectured on medical jurisprudence. As a Democrat he represented the city in Congress from 1883 to 1887. When Hazen Pingree moved to the governor's office in 1897, Maybury won the special mayoral election and was re-elected twice, serving until 1904. On December 31, 1900, he sealed the Detroit Century Box, a time capsule of letters from 56 prominent citizens, which was opened exactly a hundred years later. In 1899 he was one of twelve investors in the Detroit Automobile Company, Henry Ford's first, short-lived carmaking venture. A lifelong bachelor, he died in Detroit in 1909 and is buried at Elmwood. His bronze statue by Adolph Weinman was unveiled in Grand Circus Park in 1912.
Highlights
- Mayor of Detroit, 1897–1904
- U.S. representative from Michigan, 1883–1887
- Sealed the Detroit Century Box time capsule (1900–2000)
- Investor in Henry Ford's Detroit Automobile Company (1899)
- Statue by Adolph Weinman in Grand Circus Park (1912)
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 2
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Memorial · 1912–
William C. Maybury Monument, Grand Circus Park
Seated bronze statue by Adolph Alexander Weinman, completed for $22,000 and unveiled in 1912.
Buried here · 1909
Elmwood Cemetery
He was interred at Elmwood Cemetery.