William Cotter Maybury (November 20, 1848 – May 6, 1909) was an American politician who lived in the U.S. state of Michigan.

Early life

Maybury was born in Detroit, Michigan, on November 20, 1848, as the son of Thomas Maybury. He studied in public schools in Detroit and graduated in 1866. He later enrolled at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the academic department in 1870 and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the law department in 1871. In 1871, he was allowed to practice law and began working in Detroit as a lawyer, forming a partnership with Edward F. Conely. From 1876 to 1880, he served as the city attorney of Detroit. In 1881 and 1882, he taught about medical laws at the Michigan College of Medicine in Detroit.

Politics

In 1880, Maybury ran as a Democrat for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 1st congressional district but lost the general election to Republican Henry W. Lord. He was elected to the 48th Congress in 1882 and again to the 49th Congress in 1884. He served in Congress from March 4, 1883, to March 3, 1887. Maybury did not run for re-election in 1886.

After leaving Washington, D.C., Maybury returned to Detroit and began practicing law again. In 1897, he was elected Mayor of Detroit. He finished the rest of Hazen S. Pingree's term after Pingree resigned to become Governor of Michigan. Maybury was re-elected twice more and served as mayor until 1904. During his time as mayor, he organized a time capsule called the Detroit Century Box. It included letters from 56 important citizens and was sealed on December 31, 1900. The capsule was opened 100 years later, on December 31, 2000. In 1900, Maybury ran for Governor of Michigan but lost the election to Republican Aaron T. Bliss.

Later life and death

After Edward F. Conley died in 1888, Maybury joined John D. Conely and Alfred Lucking to start a law partnership. They called their firm Conely, Maybury, and Lucking. In 1892, Conely left the firm, and the name changed to Maybury & Lucking. Later, the firm became known as Maybury, Lucking, Emmons, & Helfman. Maybury also worked as a legal advisor for the Standard Life & Accident Insurance Company.

In 1899, Maybury was one of twelve people who invested in the Detroit Automobile Company, which was Henry Ford’s first effort to build cars. Like many early car companies, this business had problems and was shut down in January 1901.

Maybury never married and remained a bachelor for his entire life.

He died in 1909 in Detroit and was buried in Elmwood Cemetery. A statue of Maybury was placed in Grand Circus Park in downtown Detroit. The statue was created by Adolph Alexander Weinman and cost $22,000. It was shown to the public in 1912.