Source:
Biographical Cyclopedia of Vanderburgh County, Indiana
c. 1897
Pages 124-125

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      One little expects to find startling incidents in the life of a merchant, but he fails to comprehend the forces which contribute to the advancement of the moral, social and political interests of our people who leaves the careful business man out of his reckonings. No history of Vanderburgh county would be complete that did not mention the part William M. Akin, Jr., has already played in public affairs, to say nothing of the possibilities of the future, even beyond his term of service as mayor of Evansville, which does not expire until April, 1899. His boyhood days were that of a typical Hoosier boy of the present and the immediate past. He was born December 31, 1855, at Carlisle, Indiana, and his elementary education was obtained from the district schools. He was ambitious and determined to seek a higher education than the common schools afforded, and in 1873, he entered the old Asbury. College, now DePauw University, and was graduated in 1878.

      While earnest and persistent in the prosecution of his studies, his cordiality and social disposition gained him wide popularity among his fellow students. These qualities supported by magnificent physical proportions gained him a leadership in college affairs. At the same time his methods and applications in study, supplemented by his facile comradeship with members of the faculty, furnished him with unusual breadth of qualification for executive work.

      In 1865 Mr. Akin came to Evansville and in 1878 became a member of the firm of William Akin & Son, engaged in the pork packing business and the success of the concern, under the guiding hands of his father and himself, has been very gratifying and its operations have extended far and near. The house has a reputation for honesty and fair dealing second to nine in the country. ,Mr. Akin has always affiliated with. the democratic party and has been unswerving. in his devotion to the interests thereof.

      Prior to his election as Mayor of Evansville, he never held public office, with the exception of two terms as school trustee under the administration of Mayor Hawkins, which place he resigned to accept the nomination of mayor. A man of his intelligence and ability could not, however, keep out of public life and he was induced to make the race for mayor of Evansville in the last campaign and was elected by the overwhelming majority of 2,785 Votes. His administration has been highly creditable, evincing devotions to the interests of the city and comprehensive knowledge of its wants. He is prompt and untiring in his efforts to serve all with equability and without distinction, and in his daily administration is proving the wisdom of his constituents who placed him at the head of the municipal government of Evansville. Personally Mayor Akin is so genial in his manners, that whenever required to display forte and resolution of purpose, he shows so much suavity and tact that he disarms criticism. He seldom offends and never loses a friendship once formed, socially or politically. His rapid advancement in public life has made no change in that modest, quiet demeanor, which characterized him as a business man before political honors were conferred on him. He is too level-headed to be puffed up by prosperity. His comprehension of human nature and keen incite into motive as the mainspring of human action, and his adaptability, without surrender of dignity or self-respect, qualify him in a high degree for success as an executive officer. Though strong in his views and independent in action he is careful not to offend others by pushing his opinions upon them.

      William Akin, Sr., (father) is a native of Indiana, having been born in 1828. He married Miss Mary Davis, and to them seven children were born, the subject of this sketch being the third. As a business man and public spirited citizen, Mr. William Akin, Sr., has no superior. He is a man of sterling integrity and one who is loved, honored and respected by his fellowmen. Few men have had as successful a career. He is a man of discretion and pronounced virtues. He is well informed, beloved by his friends and respected by the community on account of his generosity, congenial manner and high integrity.

      William M. Akin, Jr., is a member of the Knights of Pythias and of the B.P.0.E. His convictions of duty are strong and unyielding. His activity is intense and unremitting whether in the prosecution of his private business or in the discharge of public trust. During the entire period of his residence in town, Mr. Akin has been eminently identified with many of the public enterprises which have affected favorably the growth and improvement of Evansville. He is in all the essentials of good citizenship - a leading and valuable citizen.

      He was united in marriage 1886, to Miss Tillie Schlueter, a native of Illinois, but a resident of Evansville since childhood. Their union has been blessed with five children, four of whom survive.