Earliest of Beloit founders, whose characteristics included an alert mind and a deep interest in the progress of his community, made William Blodgett a pioneer leader during much of this community’s first half century. Head of the city administration and an official many times, an account of his stewardship reveals he was a businessman, churchman, and a politician.

His father was Selvey K. Blodgett who came to Beloit in 1837, a year after Caleb Blodgett, William’s grandfather, who purchased so many “looks” from Thibault. William Blodgett was born March 13, 1834, in Indiana and came to Beloit with his mother and Caleb Blodgett in 1836. His mother was the first white woman in Beloit.

He finished his education in 1856, and he became a bookkeeper for his uncle John Hackett, in a milling business in Beloit. A year later he purchased an interest in the company, and in 1888 he owned the business. It became a corporation in 1888, and he was the president until he died here, August 27, 1901.

He was an alderman three times, mayor, and at various times he held other offices. One of the founders of the Methodist Church in Beloit, he was a trustee for many years. He was a Democrat. Possessor of strong and alert mentality, he was progressive and enterprising.