William Lewis Douglas
| William Lewis Douglas | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 42nd Governor of Massachusetts | |
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In office January 5, 1905 – January 4, 1906 |
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| Lieutenant | Curtis Guild, Jr. |
| Preceded by | John L. Bates |
| Succeeded by | Curtis Guild, Jr. |
| Member of the Massachusetts Senate | |
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In office 1887 |
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| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | |
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In office 1884 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 22, 1845 Plymouth, Massachusetts |
| Died | September 17, 1924 (aged 79) Boston, Massachusetts |
| Political party | Democratic |
William Lewis Douglas (August 22, 1845 – September 17, 1924) was a U.S. businessman and politician from Massachusetts. He served as the 42nd Governor of Massachusetts from 1905 until 1906. He also founded and oversaw the growth of the W. L. Douglas Shoe Company, a highly successful Brockton, Massachusetts business that became one of the world's largest shoe manufacturers. He also opened the first nationwide chain of shoe stores devoted to selling the company's products.
Douglas received a minimal education, and was apprenticed into the shoe trade. He established his business in 1876, which grew rapidly over the next twenty years. He entered politics as a supporter of labor and an opponent of socialism, and funded his 1905 campaign for governor. In addition to labor causes, he supported reciprocity and tariff reductions in trade with Canada. He refused to run for reelection, and returned to his business.
William Lewis Douglas was born on August 22, 1845 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, to William and Mary (Vaughan) Douglas. His father died when he was five. He received only intermittent schooling, and began working for his uncle in his shoemaking business at the age of seven. He eventually became an apprentice, working for his uncle until a decline in business in 1859 forced him to take textile factory work. The advent of the American Civil War revived the demand for boots, and Douglas briefly returned to the shoemaking business before enlisting in the Union Army. He served for one year, was wounded, and received his discharge in 1865.
After the war Douglas went west to the Colorado Territory. There he again took up shoemaking, but he also spent time working as a partner in a shoe store in Golden. In 1868 he sold his share in the store and returned to Massachusetts. There he worked for eight years as a factory supervisor in a Brockton shoe factory.
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