{{short description|19th century American politician}} {{infobox officeholder | name = William Voss | order = 25th & 27th | title = Mayor of Watertown, Wisconsin | term_start = April 1892 | term_end = April 1895 | predecessor = Frederick Kusel | successor = Justus T. Moak | term_start1 = April 1886 | term_end1 = April 1890 | predecessor1 = Albert Solliday | successor1 = Frederick Kusel | state2 = Wisconsin | state_senate2 = Wisconsin | district2 = 13th | term_start2 = January 5, 1891 | term_end2 = January 7, 1895 | predecessor2 = Charles Pettibone | successor2 = Michael E. Burke | party = Democratic | birth_date = {{birth date|1847|12|23}} | birth_place = Berlin, Brandenburg, {{nowrap|Kingdom of Prussia}} | death_date = {{Death date and age|1921|11|2|1847|12|23}} | death_place = Watertown, Wisconsin, U.S. | resting_place = Oak Hill Cemetery, {{nowrap|Watertown, Wisconsin}} | spouse = Mary Schempf | children = {{unbulleted list | Edna Voss | Albert E. Voss | Josie (Shealy) | (Mrs. Max Baumann) | Fred E. Voss }} }} '''William Frederick Voss''' (December 23, 1847{{spaced ndash}}November 2, 1921) was a German American immigrant, banker, and politician. He was the 25th and 27th mayor of Watertown, Wisconsin, and represented Dodge County in the Wisconsin State Senate during the 1891 and 1893 sessions.
==Biography== William Voss was born on December 23, 1847, in Berlin, in what was then the Kingdom of Prussia. He emigrated to the United States with his parents in 1850. They first resided in Milwaukee for two years, then came to Watertown, Wisconsin, in 1852.<ref name="1893bio">{{cite report|url= http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1893 |title= The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin |year= 1893 |publisher= State of Wisconsin |editor-last= Cunningham |editor-first= Thomas J. |chapter-url= https://images.library.wisc.edu/WI/EFacs/WIBlueBks/BlueBks/WIBlueBk1893/reference/wi.wibluebk1893.i0016.pdf |chapter= Biographical Sketches |page= 629 |accessdate= April 7, 2022 }}</ref> He was educated at the public schools of Watertown, but by the time of his graduation in 1863, both his parents were dead.<ref name="hist">{{cite news|url= http://www.watertownhistory.org/articles/Voss,%20William.htm |title= William F. Voss |newspaper= Watertown Daily Times |date= November 2, 1921 |via= Watertown Historical Society |accessdate= April 7, 2022 }}</ref>
As the eldest of four siblings, Voss took it upon himself to support the family. The day after his graduation, he walked to Columbus, Wisconsin, and secured temporary employment as a farmhand. He quickly transitioned to work as a clerk at the grocery store William Volkmann & Co., and worked there for three years. He then went to Cincinnati, Ohio, and worked for two years for John Schillito & Company.<ref name="hist"/>
He returned to Watertown in the employment of Justus T. Moak, and when Moak was appointed postmaster at Watertown in 1867, he designated Voss as his deputy.<ref name="hist"/> He worked with Moak for several years, and then determined to prospect for gold in Colorado. He ultimately abandoned that goal, but worked on a farm for about two years near Denver before returning to Wisconsin.<ref name="hist"/>
In the Spring of 1874, he was hired as bank teller for the Wisconsin National Bank. He remained with the bank for most of the rest of his career, and later became president of the bank.<ref name="hist"/> He was elected to the Watertown city council in 1879, 1880, 1881, and 1882, and was then elected mayor in 1886, 1887, 1888, and 1889.
In 1890, he was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate, running on the Democratic Party ticket. He represented Wisconsin's 13th State Senate district, which then comprised all of Dodge County.<ref name="1893bio"/> In the Senate, he was chairman of the committee on banking and currency, and was also a member of the committee on railroads. While serving as senator, he was elected to three more terms as mayor, in 1892, 1893, and 1894.<ref name="hist"/>
Voss was a member of the school board in Watertown on and off throughout his life, and served two long stretches as president of the school board. He was also president of the library board and secretary of the waterworks board.<ref name="hist"/>
Voss worked as president of the Wisconsin National Bank until his death. He died in his sleep on the morning of {{nowrap|November 2, 1921,}} at his home in Watertown.<ref name="hist"/>
==Personal life and family== William F. Voss was the eldest surviving child of Frederick Voss. His mother died in 1856 and his father in 1861.<ref name="hist"/>
William Voss married Mary Schempf, daughter of pioneer merchant George L. Schempf, on {{nowrap|May 21, 1878,}} in Watertown. They would have five children, all of whom survived him.<ref name="hist"/>
==Electoral history== ===Wisconsin Senate (1890)=== {{Election box begin | title=Wisconsin Senate, 13th District Election, 1890<ref name="1893bio"/>}} | colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| '''General Election, November 4, 1890''' {{Election box winning candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = William Voss |votes = 6,458 |percentage = 75.0% |change = +32.2% }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = Christian Reinhart |votes = 2,148 |percentage = 25.0% |change = }} {{Election box plurality |votes = 4,310 |percentage = 50.1% |change = +39.7% }} {{Election box total |votes = 8,606 |percentage = 100% |change = -0.9% }} {{Election box gain with party link no swing| |winner = Democratic Party (United States) |loser = Independent (United States) }} {{Election box end}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Find a Grave|7308832| William Frederick Voss }}
{{s-start}} {{s-par|us-wi-sen}} {{s-bef|before = Charles Pettibone }} {{s-ttl|title = {{nowrap|Member of the Wisconsin Senate}} {{nowrap|from the 13th district}} |years= January 5, 1891{{spaced ndash}}January 7, 1895 }} {{s-aft|after = Michael E. Burke }} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before = Albert Solliday }} {{s-ttl|title = {{nowrap|Mayor of Watertown, Wisconsin}} |years= April 1886{{spaced ndash}}April 1890 }} {{s-aft|after = Frederick Kusel }} {{s-bef|before = Frederick Kusel }} {{s-ttl|title = {{nowrap|Mayor of Watertown, Wisconsin}} |years= April 1892{{spaced ndash}}April 1895 }} {{s-aft|after = Justus T. Moak }} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Voss, William}} Category:1847 births Category:1921 deaths Category:Politicians from Berlin Category:Emigrants from the Kingdom of Prussia to the United States Category:Mayors of Watertown, Wisconsin Category:Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators Category:Wisconsin city council members Category:Wisconsin postmasters Category:19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature