William Chamberlain Duncan (May 18, 1820 – December 19, 1877) was a brewer, politician, and mayor of Detroit, Michigan

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

.

Biography

William C. Duncan was born in Lyons, New York

Lyons, New York

Lyons, New York may refer to either of two places in Wayne County, New York, USA:* Lyons , New York* Lyons , New York...

 on May 18, 1820. The family moved to Rochester, New York

Rochester, New York

Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...

 in 1825, and in 1841 Duncan began working as a steward on the passenger steamers crossing the Great Lakes. In 1846, he changed employers and began working on a steamer traveling through Lake Superior

Lake Superior

Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...

. In 1849, Duncan moved to Detroit and became a brewer.

Duncan was a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

, and in 1852, he was elected an alderman, serving five years. He was first council president, after a revision of the city charter created that position. He was mayor of Detroit for two years, 1862 and 1863, and in the fall of 1863 was elected a state senator. He began in the banking business in 1865, but soon gave up the trade due to impaired health and to take care of the property he had accumulated and to visit Europe.

In 1873, however, Duncan was chosen as a member of the newly created Board of Estimates. In the same year, the city Democratic Party asked him to again be their candidate for mayor, but Duncan declined due to his ill-health.

William C. Duncan died on December 19, 1877; he had no children.