William Hull Wickham (July 30, 1832 – January 13, 1893) was the 82nd Mayor of New York City and an anti-Ring Democrat who helped to topple corrupt politician Boss Tweed.
Early life
Wickham was born in Smithtown on Long Island, but was raised in New York. He was the son of Daniel H. and Ruth Wickham, who lived at 71 West 11th Street in New York. He easily defeated Oswald Ottendorfer, the Independent Democratic candidate, and Salem Howe Wales, the Republican. During his two-year tenure starting in 1875, Wickham appointed William C. Whitney to be the City of New York's legal counsel to combat political fraud. Wickham also conducted fundraising for the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.
Wickham declined to be re-nominated in 1876. He served on the Board of Education for several years and was a member of the Committee of One Hundred for New York's Columbian celebration.
Personal life
He was married to Louise Shepard Floyd. Together, they were the parents of a daughter:
- Louise Floyd Wickham (1858–1933), who did not marry and who attended Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut.
After the death of his sister, he adopted her three grown children, one son and two daughters, as his own, and they all lived together at his home.
Legacy
A street in the North Bronx is named after Wickham.