Louis Will

Born to German immigrants Anton and Rosina Will, he left school early after the death of his father to run the family candlemaking business, now known as Will & Baumer.^[3]

Will sought the mayoralty on the Progressive Party ticket. In a year with low voter turnout, Will was elected with only 9,858 votes.^[4] It was an incredibly close three-way race, with the Republican nominee receiving 9,459 votes and the Democratic nominee receiving 9,355 votes.^[5]

Will urged Syracuse to adopt a flag in the wake of other cities, such as San Francisco and Providence, adopting flags. After many delays and rejected designs, a flag was adopted on December 6, 1915. The Syracuse Common Council passed a resolution praising Will for the "patriotic public spirit" with which he encouraged the flag's creation. Many were left disappointed with the flag and it was described as "objectively ugly".^[6]

Will died on July 15, 1932, at the age of 74.^[7]

His home, the Louis Will House, a large Queen Anne-style brick house, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.^[8]