William C. E. Thomas (November 21, 1818August 13, 1876) was an American publisher, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the first mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin. After his mayoral term, he served more than a decade as city clerk, and served the last five years of his life as postmaster. In virtually all documents, he is referred to by the abbreviated name
Biography W. C. E. Thomas was born in Muncy, Pennsylvania, on November 21, 1818. He was educated in public schools before attending the Milton Academy in Milton, Pennsylvania. While at Milton, he apprenticed in a printing shop for four years, and learned the printing trade.
In 1839, he moved west, settling at Galena, Illinois, where he worked for the Galena Daily Gazette for nearly ten years. After a period of bad health, he moved north to Green Bay, in the new state of Wisconsin. There, he partnered with Edwin R. Wadsworth and Cyrus Eames in a tannery business. He worked here until 1851, when he became a general merchant.
He became one of the more popular citizens at Green Bay, and, when the city received its official charter in 1854, he was elected their first mayor, serving one year.
When the first American Express office in Green Bay was opened in 1857, Thomas was hired as the agent for that office and worked in that role through 1871. Concurrent to this, he was city clerk, elected by the city council in 1858, and held that role until 1871.
In 1871, he was appointed postmaster for Green Bay by President Ulysses S. Grant for a term to begin in 1872. He held this office until his death in 1876.
He suffered from declining health for two years, beginning in 1874, and was confined to his home for the last two months of his life. After a month of significant suffering, he died on August 13, 1876.
Personal life and family W. C. E. Thomas was a son of Arthur and Susan ( Gillespie) Thomas, of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. Arthur Thomas was a merchant.
On March 8, 1846, W. C. E. Thomas married Jane H. Eames, in Jo Daviess County, Illinois. Jane Eames was the daughter of Wisconsin pioneer Cyrus Eames. Together they had two sons and a daughter, though only one son, William Eames Thomas, survived infancy.
After W. C. E. Thomas' death, his son resided at his former home at . The home still stood at that location until 2015, when it was replaced by a set of row houses.
Electoral history
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, May 1, 1854
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