Charles Donald Jacob (June 1, 1838 – December 25, 1898)''Legendary Locals of Louisville''
/ref> was an American politician who served four terms as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

, two consecutively in 1873–78, then later in 1882–84 and 1888–90. He also served as the U.S. minister to

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

in 1885–1886. He was a member of the Democratic Party. In Mayor Jacob's third term, he oversaw the opening of the Southern Exposition. Perhaps Jacob's most lasting contribution was his fourth-term establishment in 1889 of a large park in Louisville, today called Iroquois Park, which was landscaped by

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822 – August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, Social criticism, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the U ...

Early life

Charles Donald Jacob was born on June 1, 1838, in

to John J. and Lucy Donald (née Robertson) Jacob. His mother was the granddaughter of Commodore Richard Taylor of

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

fame. His father was John J. Jacob, the financier and philanthropist who was Louisville's first millionaire. His older brother was Richard Taylor Jacob, who became

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, and his brother-in-law was James Brown Clay, who was elected as a U.S. Representative.

Career

In 1870, Jacob was urged to run for City Council and he was elected. In 1872, Jacob ran for mayor against John G. Baxter. He was elected and served two terms, from 1873 to 1878. Baxter again became mayor, and Jacob ran again in 1881 and won. He served as mayor for one more term from 1882 to 1884. He was urged again to run for mayor in 1888. He ran as an independent challenger against Democratic nominee Judge W. B. Hoke and Republican nominee Samuel Avery and won by a large majority (almost 4,000 votes). In this term, he established the Park Commission and managed the purchase of a plot of land called "Burnt Knob". From that land, he built what was called Jacob Park (later Iroquois Park) and a bridge that was nicknamed "Jacob's Folly" in Louisville. In 1893, Jacob ran against Henry S. Tyler for mayor after Tyler's first term, but he was defeated. In 1896, Jacob was offered the Democratic ticket if he ran in support of the free silver cause. He declined, and ran again as an independent, but lost to Republican candidate George Davidson Todd. Jacob was appointed U.S. minister to

by President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

and served in that role for two years, until he resigned. In 1886, Jacob was elected president of the Mutual Life Insurance Company of Kentucky, a position he held until his death. He was also president of the Central Savings Bank for a time.

Personal life

Jacob married Addie Martin, the daughter of local Louisville commission merchant Thomas J. Martin, on January 12, 1869. They had three children: Jennie, Lucy and Charles D. Jacob Jr. Charles D. Jacob Jr. was killed in the

Battle of San Juan Hill The Battle of San Juan Hill (), also known as the Battle for the San Juan Heights, was a major battle of the Spanish–American War fought between an American force under the command of William Rufus Shafter and Joseph Wheeler against a Span ...

on July 1, 1898. His wife died on March 4, 1878. Jacob married Edith Bullitt on June 2, 1897. Jacob died on December 25, 1898, in Louisville. He was interred in Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.

Legacy and honors

The

Jacobs Jacobs may refer to: Businesses and organisations *Jacob's, a brand name for several lines of biscuits and crackers in Ireland and the UK * Jacobs (coffee), a German brand of coffee * Jacobs Solutions, an American international technical professi ...

neighborhood in Louisville is named for him.

References

External links

Jacob Family Papers at the Filson Historical SocietyFuneralWire.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacob, Charles Donald 1838 births 1898 deaths 19th-century American diplomats Mayors of Louisville, Kentucky Kentucky Democrats 19th-century mayors of places in Kentucky Ambassadors of the United States to Colombia Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery