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William Hudson (Philadelphia)

Mayor of Philadelphia from 1725 to 1726. Born 1661 in Yorkshire, England, he died on Dec 12, 1742.

He came to America in 1683 or just before with considerable assets from his father. First establishing himself as a farmer and later in the establishment of tanneries, He was very successful at these enterprises. He was also a ship owner and merchant. He was a considerable slaveholder, and still owned two slaves at his death.

Before being mayor, served on the Common Council in 1701. In 1706 he was a member to the Provincial Assembly from Philadelphia. This term lasted several years until in 1715 he became an alderman and an associate justice of City Court. His term of mayor has little of note in the public record other than to say that it was honorable. After his term as mayor, he served as a justice on the orphan's court.

He married 4 times and had 14 children, all by his second wife Mary (nee Richardson) They are Samuel Hudson (1690), Mary Hudson (1692), Elizabeth Hudson (1693), Sarah Hudson (1694), William Hudson (1696), John Hudson (1697), Susanna Hudson (1699), Eleanor Hudson (1700), John Hudson (1702), Hannah Hudson (1704), Rebecca Hudson (1705), Rachel Hudson (1707), and Timothy Hudson (1706). He was very careful to see that all received the best education that Philadelphia offered. Most had very successful lives of their own.

A Quaker, he led the reform of prisons. He is said to have visited prisons almost daily. he also contributed to many other charities with a very even hand. This included the sick poor and were without regard to race or religion. He was of the old original Quaker school of William Penn. Hudson's retiremnet from politics in 1726 marked the end of Quaker dominance in Pennsylvania politics.

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