Weber, William Christian, 1853-1952.

Detroit, Michigan businessman and civic leader.

From the description of William Christian Weber papers, 1858-1940. (University of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 34421779

William C. Weber, a life-time resident of Detroit, was a land dealer in Michigan involved in lumber and minerals, as well as the owner of land in Detroit and the Border Cities (later Windsor, Ontario). Weber and his wife Emma (Behr) had two sons, Harry (born in 1888) and Erwin (born in 1892). Both sons went to the University of Michigan: Harry attended from 1907 to 1909 when he left to become his father's partner; Erwin attended from 1912 until gratuation in 1916. Harry died in 1967. He and his wife Helen (who died in 1973) left no children. Erwin died in 1918 at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center from influenza.

In the first two decades of the century, Weber was involved in cultural events in Detroit, especially the development of the Cultural Center of the city of Detroit on Woodward Avenue. He and Joseph L. Hudson were the chief financial backers of the Art Commission's acquisition of the land on which the Main Library and Detroit Institute of Arts now stand. After Hudson's death in 1912, Weber became embroiled in a controversy over the design of the Cultural Center, failing, however, to sway other members of the commission to his position.

In the twenties and early thirties, Weber was interested in the construction of the Detroit-Windsor bridge and tunnel primarily because he held property in the Border Cities located strategically near the Canadian side of the bridge and near the industrial development of that area. During these years, he also was negotiating with the Ford Motor Company over land deals and the development of mineral lands in Michigan.

From the guide to the William Christian Weber Papers, 1858-1940, (Bentley Historical Library University of Michigan)