William Bratton Hays served as Mayor of Pittsburgh from 1903 to 1906.

Early life

Hays was born into a meat packing family in 1844. He made his fortune in the coal industry in nearby Indiana County, Pennsylvania

Indiana County, Pennsylvania

-Government and politics:As of November 2008, there are 58,077 registered voters in Indiana County .* Democratic: 26,653 * Republican: 24,159 * Other Parties: 7,265 -County commissioners:*Rodney Ruddock, Chairman, Republican...

; he was also involved in the lumber business in North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

.

Pittsburgh politics

He was appointed the mayor of Pittsburgh by the Pennsylvania Governor after Mayor Diehl's corruption scandal. During his service the governor re-installed elections in the city and he was subsequently voted in as mayor.

Hays presided over some of Pittsburgh's greatest feats and also one of its greatest disasters. The Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

 went to the first ever World Series

1903 World Series

The 1903 World Series was the first modern World Series to be played in Major League Baseball. It matched the Boston Americans of the American League against the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League in a best-of-nine series, with Boston prevailing five games to three, winning the last...

 in 1903, and the film industry's first Nickelodeon movie theater

Nickelodeon movie theater

The Nickelodeon was a multi-purpose theater that was popular from about 1900 to 1914. Usually situated in converted storefronts, the Nickelodeon featured motion pictures, illustrated songs, slide shows and lectures...

 was opened on Smithfield Street in 1905. Hays though also had to contend with the devastating city hall fire making the government home a total loss and destroying many records and documents in the process.

Later life

Hays died in 1912 and was buried in Allegheny Cemetery

Allegheny Cemetery

Allegheny Cemetery is one of the largest and oldest burial grounds in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.It is a nonsectarian, wooded hillside park located at 4734 Butler Street in the Lawrenceville neighborhood and bounded by Bloomfield, Garfield, and Stanton Heights...

. The Hays

Hays (Pittsburgh)

Hays is a neighborhood in the 31st Ward of southeastern Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is represented on by the representative of . It occupies ZIP codes 15227, 15207, and 15236. It is named after James H...

neighborhood of Pittsburgh was named in his honor.