William S. Gregory
Encyclopedia
William S. Gregory was the first mayor of Kansas City, Missouri in 1853.
When Kansas City was incorporated on March 18, 1853, it had an area 0.98 square miles (2.5 km²) and a population of 2,500. 63 votes were cast for mayor and Gregory defeated Dr. Benoist Troost by nine votes.
He was born in Shelby County, Kentucky
.
Gregory moved with his wife Elizabeth to Jackson County, Missouri
in 1844 from Kentucky and operated a grocery store on the levee. He and other settlers petitioned to incorporate the Town of Kansas. Gregory only served 10 months when it was discovered that since he lived on a farm that was outside the city limits eastern boundary at Locust Street he was not eligible to be mayor.
He is buried in Elmwood Cemetery
. In the 1930s 71st Street was renamed Gregory Boulevard in his honor.
When Kansas City was incorporated on March 18, 1853, it had an area 0.98 square miles (2.5 km²) and a population of 2,500. 63 votes were cast for mayor and Gregory defeated Dr. Benoist Troost by nine votes.
He was born in Shelby County, Kentucky
Shelby County, Kentucky
Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2010, the population was 42,074. Its name is in honor of Isaac Shelby, the first Governor of Kentucky. Its county seat is Shelbyville...
.
Gregory moved with his wife Elizabeth to Jackson County, Missouri
Jackson County, Missouri
Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. With a population of 674,158 in the 2010 census, Jackson County is the second most populous of Missouri's counties, after St. Louis County. Kansas City, the state's most populous city and focus city of the Kansas City Metropolitan...
in 1844 from Kentucky and operated a grocery store on the levee. He and other settlers petitioned to incorporate the Town of Kansas. Gregory only served 10 months when it was discovered that since he lived on a farm that was outside the city limits eastern boundary at Locust Street he was not eligible to be mayor.
He is buried in Elmwood Cemetery
Elmwood Cemetery (Kansas City, Missouri)
Elmwood Cemetery is a cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri.It was formally organized in 1872 at 4900 Truman Road at Van Brunt Avenue and was landscaped by George Kessler. The first burial was in 1840.-Kansas City Mayors:* Edward Herrick Allen* Thomas Bulene...
. In the 1930s 71st Street was renamed Gregory Boulevard in his honor.