My Genealogy Hound

William G. Whipple, mayor of Little Rock, was born at Warehouse Point, on the Connecticut River, Conn., on August 4, 1834, and is a son of William J. and Parmelia Cook (Woodward) Whipple, of Connecticut and Massachusetts, respectively. The father was a prominent citizen, who died in 1873, at the age of sixty-four years, while the mother died in 1861, at the age of fifty years. The family of the latter were noted for their longevity, a number of them yet living, and all over eighty years of age. William G. Whipple is one of the most intellectual men in Little Rock. He received a superior education in his youth and early manhood, first graduating from the Wilbraham Academy, in Massachusetts, in 1852, and then attending and graduating from the Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn. Choosing law for his profession, he entered the Albany Law School at Albany, N. Y., and after his graduation went to Milwaukee, Wis., where he commenced practicing, and remained until 1868. During that time he was a candidate for the United States prosecuting attorneyship for Milwaukee County, but his party being in the minority he was thus defeated by his opponent. In 1868 he went to Little Rock, and shortly afterward was appointed United States district attorney, serving in this office with distinction for three years. He resumed his practice at the end of that time, and for five years was a partner of Judge Yonley. In 1887 Mr. Whipple was elected mayor of Little Rock on a nonpartisan ticket, and without opposition, and in 1889 was re-elected on the same ticket with a majority of over 16,000. His administration has been one that gave satisfaction to the people in almost every detail, and has brought about numberless reforms. On September 1, 1887, electric lighting was introduced into the city, by which twice the area formerly lighted by gas is now lighted by electricity, at one half the former expense. The plant cost the city $27,000, and is run at an annual expense of $6,000. There are 112 lamps of 2,000 candle power each, and five towers consisting of five lamps each in different parts of the city. Since 1887 the streets have been paved with granite blocks, macadam and gravel, four miles in the heart of the city, and eight miles additional at different points have just been completed, besides several miles in course of construction. Besides this about sixty miles of brick, stone and concrete sidewalk have been built, and nine new sewer districts opened, making a total of nineteen sewer districts now in the city. The city has purchased, recently, an Aveling & Porter steam roller to pave their streets with, weighing twelve tons and costing $5,800. For over forty years a town branch ‘‘cut off’’ had been talked about, but nothing definite had ever come of it until the new administration took hold of things, and in June, 1888, this project was carried out. It is six feet in diameter, and carries away a large amount of water from the town branch, thereby saving an overflow in the business portion and considerable valuable property that would otherwise be carried away or damaged by water. Since Mayor Whipple has taken the reins of government, the city has imbibed a new spirit of enterprise and improvement, and among other things a dummy railway has been constructed about three miles in length within the past eighteen months. The mayor takes a deep interest in immigration, and also the financial condition of the city. Under his administration the city bonded debt has been refunded, amounting to $167,000, and bearing interest at 6 per cent, and would have fallen due within the next ten years, but it has now been refunded at 10 per cent, on twenty years’ bonds—a creditable showing. Little Rock can only assess a 5 mill tax, while Forth Worth assesses 15 mills, San Antonto 12 and Dallas receives $190,000, where Little Rock only gets $37,000 in taxes. With this small assessment, however, the city has always enough to pay current expenses, although Little Rock was between $3,000 and $4,000 in debt for current expenses when Mayor Whipple took charge of his office. His administration has been a success in every sense, and he has filled the office of mayor with commanding dignity and wisdom. He is junior warden of Trinity Cathedral (Episcopal), and has been chancellor for three terms of three years each of the Episcopal Diocese. In secret societies he is a Master Mason, and also a member of Knights of Honor. Mayor Whipple was married in 1870 to Miss Mary S. Dodge, a daughter of Dr. R. L. Dodge, an old and respected citizen of Little Rock. They have one son, Durand, eighteen years old, who graduated from the Little Rock University in the class of 1889, and is now reading law in his father’s office. To Mayor Whipple’s enterprise and business sagacity is largely due the present state of progress and prosperity that has fallen to Little Rock. He is a gentleman of high honor and sound judgment, and enjoys the confidence of the people to a marked degree.